EQUIPMENT

Wide Awake Paranormal realizes the only product a paranormal research team has to offer a client is data collected from an investigation and our interpretation of that data. Though, regardless of the claims of many researchers, the data obtained from an investigation does not prove all that much.

Like in most scientific research, our findings only manage to create more questions than they seem to answer. As investigators, the value and the quality of data is our utmost concern and the most important aspect of the investigation.

The most important process occurs after the initial investigation when our focus turns from the collection of data to analyzing and verifying the authenticity of any data and looking for consistencies found within that data.

Regardless of what you may have seen on the para-TV shows their is no equipment made that will find ghost.

In choosing equipment we have 2 problems

1.There is no universally agreed upon definition of a ghost.

2. No one has discovered a scientific piece of equipment that can quantifiably detect ghost.

That's right there is no such thing as a ghost detector, so if we don't have any equipment that will find ghost what are we trying to do?

 What we are trying to accomplish with equipment is to compile enough verifiable data, taken under strict scientific protocol (within our ability) that future investigators could use to help fill in the collective understanding of our environment

This understanding may lead to the discovery of some "thing" that fits closely to our current definition of ghosts or more accurately simply fits closely to our societal beliefs of what affects people perceive as the result of ghosts.

If we want to give the client true quality scientific data we cannot use equipment that is built upon unproven theories and conjecture. We are not scientist but we will try our best of to monitor and document as many known variables in the environment with verifiable equipment. Should we be left with any data not explained away by known causes, it remains as an anomaly.

This does not mean a anomaly is a ghost, alien, angel, demon, poltergeist, etc, it is just an anomaly that deserves further study. Each specific anomaly should be researched and investigated.

Only if new data can be found about the anomaly should their be a theory formed that would speculate the most plausible source of said anomaly. Not just data but quantifiable data, and not just a theory, but a testable theory based upon empirical facts.

We believe the future of paranormal research lies in the use of data logging equipment to monitor the environment to collect and compare data which may lead to new theories and discoveries.

At the present we use separate pieces of equipment to monitor and record the environment but we are working to develop a data logging system to capture and keep a record of all environmental parameters Wide Awake uses the standard equipment as well as a few specialized pieces to monitor the environment, 

We use handheld video cameras and still digital cameras to record the visual environment .

We use digital audio recorders with dynamic and condenser mics to monitor the audio environment .

We use EMF detectors and oscilloscopes to monitor the Electro-Magnetic environment.

We also do experiments based on research by other researchers and are always trying to learn and study new information on paranormal research.

There seems to be new paranormal investigative groups forming everyday to join the thousands already in the United States, this increase can be attributed to the popularity of today’s reality based paranormal TV shows. These programs have made the study of paranormal phenomena quite the in thing to do,

Unfortunately, while most of these televised groups proudly proclaim they employ the scientific method and use the latest technology to capture "proof of the paranormal" few really understand what the scientific method is, and equally as unfortunate, many of their unscientific investigative methods and techniques have trickled down to many of the current “ghost hunting” groups spawned by the popularity of the paranormal genre.

A quick look around the Internet will show vast amount of false evidence on the paranormal websites, everything from orb pictures to all forms of pareidolia as well as the improper use of equipment.

It seems like all the groups are competing to see who can capture the most so called "evidence".

False evidence is easy to find orb pictures, pictures of faces in everything,

We all want to believe, belief is natural, skepticism is unnatural, that's why it is hard for some to admit that there evidence is suspect or false.

Wide Awake believes true paranormal data or "evidence' is extremely rare. If someone had some "real" evidence the mystery of ghost would be solved, would it not?

One way to verify evidence is by cross-referencing the findings from one piece of equipment to the findings of another.

Through insight achieved by cross-referencing, one can determine what is actual documented paranormal phenomenon and what can be explained or debunked. Sounds logical right? Well, believe it or not, a lot of researchers don't even do this much and as a result actually display a large amount of false evidence on their websites.

 What a lot of people do not realize is that paranormal research can actually be very boring and un-eventful and if a group appears to get mass amounts of 'evidence' from every investigation, this is a tell tale sign that someone is not doing their homework. Wide Awake is not out to try and produce the most evidence but we want to provide the best quality data possible.

A partial list of some of our equipment

• Sony HD SDR-11 Video Camera
• Various other Sony Night shot Video Cameras
• Several digital still cameras
• Spetercam 3 Third generation Extended Spectrum Camera
• 2- 4 channel DVR Systems
• Velleman HPS 50 Oscilloscope with Magnetic Sciences MC95 Magnetic Field Sensor 25Hz to 3kHz
• Condenser/ Dynamic mic setup. Audio -Technica M8000 dynamic and Behringer C-2 condenser feeding to a Zooom H4n with a 32G sd card
• Various Tempature and Emf Meters Data logging software and console in development