In choosing to contact RISEUP for an investigation, rest assured that our priority is to try to provide as thorough an investigation as possible while limiting our invasiveness within a home, business or other property. We take great pride in our ability to do this with sensitivity, discretion and integrity. Those who seek our aid should understand that, while we are certainly free to provide immediate assistance if the situation calls for such attention, a fully-equipped investigation will only take place should both the client(s) and RISEUP authorities deem this a proper avenue. So rest assured, while we have a variety of tools, gizmos and gadgets, each one useful and sometimes necessary depending on the  situation and types of claims- the number of investigators present and the amount of equipment involved will be in  total accordance with the wishes of the client, homeowner, proprietor, etc.

      Please keep in mind that none of these tools were invented for "Ghost-Hunting". They are surveillance tools and documentation devices employed in an attempt to document any strange or anomalous activity that may take place while we are in a particular location. On a greater scale, they also serve as a documentation of our groups activities when we are in the home or location and our groups activities as a whole as we attempt to provide as much scientific validity to our research as possible. This section is intended to be an introduction to the various equipment that RISEUP Investigators use when we are out in the field.

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Digital Voice Recorders

     Not only do we have two group recorders, but I think everyone has there own personal one at this point. Capturing disembodied voices in controlled environments has been one of the tenants of Paranormal and Psychical Research going back to even the earliest audio recording devices. Hand-held Digital Voice Recorders are without a doubt the most widely used piece of investigative equipment in the paranormal field. This is most likely due to the and fact that they are reasonably priced and readily available. As a group, it is a nice way to document what each person is experiencing and using more than one recorder at a time can be rewarding when authenticating evidence.

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Digital Camera/ 35mm Film Camera

     For the most part everybody has gone digital when it comes to capturing Spirit Photography (for more on this subject visit our Articles Section). This is again, probably a bi-product of affordability and availability, not to mention convenience. Many 

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Hand-held Camcorders w/ Nightshot

     For "Ghost-Hunting"- that is to say going to a particularly 'spooky' location and checking to see if anything might be there- the HandyCams are a must. They allow for free movement and can give you a bit of an advantage in the dark if your willing to sacrifice your own senses for staring at a tiny screen. We have found that the hand-helds are particularly useful in documenting our investigators experiences. Because they are in the investigators hands and have an external microphone, they provide an inside the investigation account of what happens during the session. When our investigators hear strange sounds, knocks, bangs or disembodies voices we tend to refer back to the hand-helds to validate the experience. They are also good for documenting experiments using equipment and are ideal when looking for anomalous energy fields with EMF Meters or trying to make contact using Digital Recorders and K-II meters. The biggest downfall of the Hand-held Camcorder is in it's range of vision. IT WILL ONLY CAPTURE WHAT YOU POINT IT AT! Needless to say that, in this field, the odds of you pointing it in the right direction are astronomical.

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Digital-Video-Recording System

    While it is illogical for some groups to up-and-buy a DVR System (we got ours secondhand via donation) it has saved us countless dollars on tapes, discs and all the other hardware that comes with trying to archive our investigations. This video storage unit works in correspondence with our Stationary IR Cameras to provide RISEUP with maximum storage capacity while providing minimal stress when it comes to our need for video surveillance.

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Stationary IR Cameras

     We run usually between 3-6 cameras to cover areas of concentrated activity and whenever possible we like to cover the monitor area as well. These cameras are setup, not only in an attempt to capture phenomena, but to also monitor traffic in and around a particular area. These cameras, like the nightshot on the hand-held cameras, are designed to refract light at a what is considered the Near-Infrared Range. This means they use a series of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) to saturate an area with a source of light that is visible to the camera but invisible to the humans. One such theory, as it pertains to ghosts and hauntings asserts that, because we can not normally see these apparitions in our normal spectrum of vision, perhaps they occur within other spectrums. Furthermore, in using different technologies such as Infrared and Thermal imagining, researchers may someday discern at which spectrum(s) these apparitions take place. We hardwire these cams for maximum quality.

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360° Amplifying Microphones with Real-Time Audio Software

     The use these particular setup to allow our monitor to listen in while a group conducts a session or vigil. While not as sensitive as the Parabolic Dish and Digital Recorder System, these mics have certainly allowed us to hear disembodied voices and other strange sounds that would have possibly gone unnoticed otherwise. The ability to have the monitor listen in Real-Time has also come in handy on a number of occasions in confirming that a line of questioning seems to be producing a response. This can be an invaluable guide for the investigators in the room at time. There are hundreds of free Real-Time Audio programs available on the net.

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Parabolic Dish with Digital Voice Recorder

     The Parabolic Dish allows for Maximum Sound Amplification. Headphones allow you to listen in Real-Time. Simply attach the Digital Voice Recorder to the Dish to record the whole experience.

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EMF Detectors

     An electromagnetic field is an energy field given off by an electrically or magnetically charged object. This includes both manmade (AC) and natural (DC) charges. RISEUP uses three different types of EMF detector- a Digital Readout, Tri-Field Natural and K-II Meter. While it is always nice to corroborate readings on more than one device each one serves its particular purpose toward testing and applying them to test certain paranormal theories. There are three prominent theories that bridge EMF fields to the paranormal:

1) Prolonged exposure to EMF can produce anxiety, nausea, restlessness and even hallucinations. Individuals who are hypersensitive to these fields could be misinterpreting such a reaction to be a haunting. This condition is actually rare as studies suggest that only 2 of every 1,000 persons have such reactions.

2)  If all man-made and natural energies can be accounted for in a given area, and that energy field is disturbed during the course of investigation, said disturbances may be considered anomalous or paranormal in nature. This disturbance may eventually lead to forming a pattern consistent with certain paranormal events, maybe as a catalyst or as a direct product of a manifestation.

3) Not only is the human body in a constant state of both taking in and emitting electromagnetic energy, but studies also suggest that a measurable current of this human energy survives for a period of time after death. This theory asserts that, if some human intelligence survives within this energy, and if this energy survives or is in visitation of a particular location, than an electromagnetic field detector may be used to try and establish contact with such an entity. (particularly a detector that communicates a disturbance using lights or audible alarms)

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Ambient and IR Thermometers

     The belief that sudden hot or cold spots occur when entities are present is and has been a tenant of the paranormal community going back beyond the spiritualist movement. Again, this belief is wholly theoretical. The ambient thermometer takes temperature of a open area. The temperature guns take surface temperatures. Does one room feel colder than another? Use the ambient thermometer to find out. Feel a cold spot on your elbow? Point the IR gun at it, then a another section of your skin to see if there is a significant difference.

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2 Way Radios or Walkie-Talkies

     Always nice to know where everyone is located and that everyone is safe, especially when you are investigating large or outdoor venues. Sometimes they pick up stray signals but . The signal can also disturb the EMF Detectors (like cell phones). You can always turn them off when using this equipment.