Ghost-Hunting Guidelines
Arrive early with the necessary gear to provide plenty of time to setup and test equipment. Decide what responsibility each ghost hunter will take on before arriving at the site. The predetermined positions allow each ghost hunter the necessary prep time before the ghost hunt.
Once at the ghost-hunting location, conduct a safety walkthrough. Visibly mark areas that present dangers or hazards to fellow ghost hunters. These hazards can be anything that could harm an investigator or damage equipment such as a large hole in the ground, a pointy nail sticking out from a doorway, a broken stair, etc. Mark these areas with glow sticks, glow in the dark or reflective tape, caution signs or rope the area off from entry. Also, make sure that every ghost hunter has been forewarned of dangerous obstacles.
Know the basic layout and terrain of the location. Record video of the initial walkthroughs and identify spots to begin ghost hunting. The ghost hunt will go much smoother and achieve better results if the ghost hunters are familiar and comfortable with their surroundings. During the walkthroughs, try not to unnecessarily touch or move objects unless it is required for safety or general access. Try to leave the natural environment uncontaminated.
It is important to keep traffic in and out of ghost-hunting locations to a minimum. The more people who enter an area the more likely that captured evidence will be contaminated. EVP recordings can pick up footsteps and voices from ghost hunters who should not have been in the room.
Start by setting up a safe room where equipment can be stored, communications between groups can be monitored and where ghost hunters can take a break from the investigation. The safe room should not be a place where a lot of paranormal activity is known to occur.
Ghost hunters should break up into small teams if and when possible. Do not conduct investigations alone; however, there is also no need to have ten ghost hunters in the same room. Send ghost hunters to mark, measure, photograph and record video in key spots. Measurements will provide references should objects move doing the investigation.
When ghost hunters are divided up into separate teams, each group should know where the other groups are located to avoid confusion and misinterpretations. Handheld radio communicators or cell phones are good devices for staying in contact with other ghost-hunting team members.
Document as much of the ghost hunt as possible – use notebooks, videocameras and audio recorders. Try asking the ghosts to appear. Put the video cameras on different light settings. Try different EVP recording methods. Play music that might be meaningful to the ghost. Do not be afraid to experiment during a ghost hunt.