Simplify Your Ghost Hunting Gadgets to Support Your Senses

Walk into any ghost hunt and count the devices running at the same time. EMF meters, spirit boxes, SLS cameras, REM pods, Ovilus, trigger objects with sensors in them. Sometimes all of it going at once.

That’s a problem.

When five devices are running, you’re not investigating anymore. You’re managing equipment. Your attention is split. Your partner’s attention is split. You’re watching readouts instead of watching the room. You’re reacting to beeps instead of noticing what your body is actually picking up.

And here’s the thing nobody says out loud: if there’s something in that room trying to communicate, you just made it a lot harder. Don’t overwhelm anyone. Living or dead.

The Camera Is Already Working

Before you pull anything else out of the bag, think about what your camera is already doing.

It’s recording everything you see. It’s recording everything you hear. Sight and hearing, covered, continuously, without you doing anything. Two of your five senses are already documented.

That’s a big deal. Most investigators don’t think about it that way. They treat the camera as a background tool and pile other devices on top of it. But the camera is doing serious work. Give it credit.

So the real question is: what do you actually need beyond that?

The Test Every Gadget Has to Pass

Before any device goes in my bag, it has to answer one question.

Does this do something my camera can’t?

Not: does it look cool on video. Not: does it show up on paranormal shows a lot. Not: is it interesting. Does it reach into a sensory channel the camera misses?

If the answer is no, it stays home.

That’s the whole test. It’s simple and it cuts the kit down fast.

Run Your Senses as a Checklist

Think about your five senses. The camera and mic covers two of them already. Work through the rest.

Sight: covered.

Hearing: covered.

Touch: not covered. This is your open channel. This is where one device earns its place. Something that detects physical response or interaction, something the camera lens can’t pick up on its own.

Smell: no device in a standard kit detects smell. The tool here is your voice. You say it out loud when it happens, on camera, in the moment. That’s the documentation. It’s simple and it’s honest.

Taste: same thing. Say it out loud when it happens.

Then there’s the sixth channel. Your body’s involuntary responses. Voice dropping. Going still. The hair on your arms. The urge to step back from a doorway. The camera pointed at you captures all of that. It’s some of the best evidence you’ll ever get.

So when you work through the checklist, the gap is touch. That’s where you pick one device.

One Gadget, One Channel

Pick one device that covers the gap. One.

I use the Onvoy ghost box for tap response. It introduces a simple physical communication channel. Yes or no. Tap once for yes, twice for no. The camera doesn’t capture that kind of exchange on its own. The Onvoy passes the test.

That’s the operating principle. One gadget. One channel the camera doesn’t cover. Pick it based on what the location is known for, what the reported phenomena actually are, not based on habit or what you always bring.

A location with a history of physical contact might call for something that detects touch response. A location with a history of visual phenomena might not need anything beyond the camera at all.

Match the tool to the location. Bring one. Run it without five other devices competing for your attention.

What I Stopped Carrying

Here’s what left my kit and why.

The spirit box went first. It produces constant audio output, which means my camera’s audio is now recording a waterfall of noise. It also duplicates hearing, which the camera already covers.

The Ovilus went next. Same issue. Audio output, same channel, added noise.

The SLS Kinect camera was next. It maps stick figures onto surfaces using structured light. The problem is it requires interpretation, and it duplicates sight, which the camera already covers.

The Estes Method I stopped using because it adds a second audio layer and requires one investigator to be isolated with headphones on. That takes a person out of the experience and out of communication.

The Epoch Box and Para4ce 4-in-1 went for the same basic reason as the spirit box and Ovilus. Too much audio output, duplicating channels already covered.

Everything on that list failed the test. Nothing personal.

What I Still Carry

Here’s what’s in the bag now, organized by what each piece actually does.

Sight and Hearing Canon XA50 or XA60 as the primary camera for low light investigation work. iPhone 15 Pro Max in a SmallRig cage for moving through a location. Rode Micro GO II on the iPhone rig for investigator audio capture.

Hearing (dedicated) Rode NTG5 or AT875R as a static room mic when I want isolated audio from a specific area. Actually, I like having a couple of audio recorders running. EVP is some of the best quality evidence. You know what … I think I’ll write a post on live listening, which is my favorite experiment to run.

Touch Response Onvoy ghost box for tap response sessions. One device, one channel.

Environmental Context GQ EMF-390 as a serious primary EMF instrument when the reported phenomena call for it. Not every investigation. When it’s relevant.

Movement is another type of data I try to collect. Something that will alert me to an unseen presence scurrying (or maybe it’s lurking) down a dark hallway. I usually use the Flux2 or Poltertune as my primary gadgets.

That’s it. Everything fits in one bag. Nothing is competing with anything else.

Note: ERICKHILL makes a really good EMF meter (RT-100S 3-in-1) that’s half the price of the GQ EMF-390 It captures 3 distinct EMF types.

Less Is More Honest

Fewer devices means your experience is the primary document. Not the readouts. Not the beeps. What you saw, heard, felt, smelled, and how your body responded.

That’s the investigation. The kit just supports it.

If you want the full argument for why human experience is the best evidence we have, read the previous post about the human experience being the best evidence.

Disclaimer: Jake bought all the gadgets mentioned in this article with his own money, so there’s no expectation of a positive review or mention from the makers.

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Have you recently downgraded gear to up-level your ghostly experience? If so, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading Ghostly Activities. Much appreciated and take care!