West Chester PA House Investigation

DAPI was contacted to investigate a house in West Chester PA. The house is over 100 years old and at least one of the previous owners died in the house. The claims of activity were the owners would hear their toddler son talking to some one, when asked who he was talking to the toddler replied “The Man”. He has been heard on several occasions talking to “The Man”. Other reports of activity is the bathroom exhaust fan would turn off and on by itself. The attic door would open by itself. We arrived at the home Friday night the 13th. Because the house was small and we are a large group we decided to do the investigation in shifts. This would help keep the sounds from other investigators to a minimum and makes it less likely to end up with tainted EVP evidence. The house was empty so this made set up a snap. We went through the house getting base EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) readings. All rooms were between .1 and .3, nothing really high. After all readings we recorded we set up the IR (Infrared) camera in one of the bedrooms that the toddler held most of his discussions with “The Man”. We then began conducting EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) sessions. We got several good EVP’s. EVP1 , EVP2, EVP3, EVP4, EVP5 .

We also got lots of Orb pictures. Too many to post all of them. Here is a sampling. Orb1, Orb2

We also cought an orb on video. Notice the tail that trails off from the back of the orb. Video

Our Ghost hunting equipment.

We thought that it would be a good idea to post a blog showing the equipment that we use. There are many different tools available to help investigators determine if there is paranormal activity. One of the most used tools is the camera. It can be digital or film. We use digital cameras. The one’s pictured are a Nikon CoolPix S210 (1st picture) and Nikon D80 Digital SLR (2nd picture ). They both have a large view screen to study the photo immediately after taking it. With a 2 GB SD card your camera can hold over 2000 pictures. All pictures can be transferred to your computer for analysis. Staying in the camera family, we also use a Sony Hi8 video recorder (2nd picture) with night shot. Night shot gives the camera infrared capabilities meaning that you can record footage in almost total darkness. If you add an external infrared light (2nd picture center top) you will be able to add considerable distance to your night photography.We haven’t captured a full body apparition yet but we have captured orbs moving about. We also use a Infrared CCTV camera as a stationary camera set where there is reports of high activity. When using this type of camera you will need a computer with a capture card installed or a DVR (Digital Video Recorder)

Next we come to another heavily used tool which is the Digital Voice Recorder right side center. The digital voice recorder is invaluable for recording EVP. (Electronic Voice Phenomena). As with the digital camera, you can transfer your recording to you computer for analysis. When used in conjunction with a sound editing program like Audacity, a free for download cross platform sound editing software makes a very powerful tool.

EMF meters: there several different kinds to choose from. Some of the more commonly used are the KII meter top left. the one in the picture is modified with an on/off switch. The KII without the on/off switch has a pressure switch that has to be held down while using it. The KII uses a light indicator as its meter instead of a needle indicator. Much easier to see in the dark. The second EMF meter on the left in the picture is produced by Cell Sensor. This EMF detector has a needle that indicates the strength EMF fields. This model is also equipped with an external probe. The 3rd EMF detector on the left in the picture is a Lutron EMF – 822A. This is a digital meter, is very sensitive and reads in increments down to 0.0

In the center of the picture is a Laser thermometer which is use to take temperature reading any where from a few inches to over 200 feet.

Top right corner of the picture is the most indispensable tool in the whole arsenal. The flash light. Don’t leave home without it.

Make sure you get a sturdy case to carry all your equipment in. It’s a big investment and you’ll want to protect it.

This is just a sampling of the equipment we use for paranormal investigation.

Slow blogging.

I know we have been a little slow posting new blogs. But now the holidays are over and everything is starting to settle down.We have some exciting investigations coming up in the next couple of months and we will be posting the findings as soon as they are available. We are working on an equipment blog featuring the equipment we use. That should be up in a couple of days. We are also going to be introducing the members of DAPI in future blogs. So please check back regularly and please comment on what you read here. We like getting feedback.

A LESSON LEARNED FOR GHOST INVESTIGATORS.
DAPI was contacted to perform an investigation on an area business. The employee’s were experiencing touching, shadows and unusual noises
We were informed earlier in the week that there would be 2 extra guests connected to the business coming to the investigation. When we arrived we found that the word had spread about the investigation and the 2 guest grew to 13 people. That made a total of 21 people. It was very confusing but we managed to get somewhat organized and preformed the investigation. It was a great learning experience for us. It’s always a good thing to remember to limit the amount of people there are on an investigation. When too many inexperienced people get involved it gets noisy. And that could cause problems such as tainted EVP Even people 2 floors away could ruin a night’s EVP work. You have loud talking, laughing, squealing, floor board creaks, and bumps. All kinds of noises that could cast doubt on what the sound is.
One of the things that helps make an investigation successful is the frame of mind of an investigator. You need to be in a positive mood with a clear head. If you have someone at the investigation that has a negative attitude, thinks it’s a joke or just looking to get scared could affect the outcome of the investigation.
Another consideration you have to be aware of is a sprit attaching itself to someone and following them home. It’s always a good practice to say a protection prayer prior to and at the end of an investigation. We as investigators could handle something like that happening but the average person probably could not.
You also have the problem of some of the guest not respecting the client’s property. This will usually come from the same person that thinks the investigation is a joke.
Just remember, keep the number of people to a bare minimum. If you have a lot of people that are interested, invite them to the reveal. It’s much more interesting for them and lets you do your investigation with out distraction.

House Investigation 10.18.2008

House Investigation 10.13.2008
On October 28th the members of DAPI performed an investigation in which a person had died. One of the reports we received from the owners is of someone walking in the upstairs hallway. We set up a Sony Hi8 video camcorder that has infrared lighting capabilities that enable us to film with little or no light. When we reviewed the video we found that we caught an orb that comes out of the stair way. It moves down, and as it reaches the bottom front of the dresser that is sitting on the left side of the hall, it turns to the right heading away from the camera and goes up about a foot. It then picks up speed as it enters the bedroom on the left. You can view the video from that night Here
Watch closely. Best to watch in full screen mode.

Church Investigation 8.2.08

On 8.2.08 DAPI investigated a church that has been the site of all types of paranormal activity, including full body apparations, cold spots, shadow figures, and disembodied voices. Our team broke into 3 investigation groups, and we broke the facility into four areas. This report includes some of the highlights of the investigation.

For the EVPs, you should have external speakers on your PC. Some have a combination of an investigator speaking, followed by an EVP. For these, you will need to turn down a bit for the live talking, and then turn it up for the actual EVP.

In the upstairs social hall, one of the investigators encountered a cold spot. In that area, he also got an EVP of a woman saying "Hello." This sound has also been heard live.

Click here for the EVP.

We got the same EVP on a video camera running in the room. Click here. When it runs, it will take a while to download. When it's done, hit play again, and it will run at full speed.

More EVPs and pictures to follow. We're still building our blog site. Stay tuned!