About terms

Q. What's an orb? A. An "orb" or light anomaly is believed to be the basic “energy” of a spirit.

Q. What is a baseline check? A. The baseline checks are taken and recorded by two Ngrit-UK investigators. These checks are taken in all areas of interest and prior to the commencement of any investigation. It is preferable to conduct two baseline checks, the first and basic in daylight hours, two to three days before the investigation.

This is mainly to search for any electrical equipment ie electrical sockets, light fittings etc, that may cause high EMF readings. This first baseline check is also an opportunity to observe for any loose flooring, doors, windows etc that may be prone to natural expansion and contraction thereby causing noises during a vigil. This is also the best time to conduct a risk assessment of areas to be observed during the vigil, noting any possible areas for concern, and to identify any hidden dangers which may not be obvious in subdued light. This information is then cascaded to all Ngrit-UK members who will be present during the investigation. N.B. It is useful at this time to produce a sketch/map of the area and mark anything of relevance.

The second baseline check is essential as it acts as a 'control' prior to the actual paranormal investigation and is required for comparison with recordings taken during the vigil (this includes EMF and temperature readings). The second baseline check is taken half an hour to one hour before any full investigations starts.

Q. What is EVP? A. EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomenon; voices caught on recording devices such as tape recorders. Thomas Edison first introduced this concept to the world during the latter part of his life. He became obsessed with the afterlife and began trying to prove that we do go on when our bodies die. In the few weeks prior to his death, he kept himself locked in a room with a modified version of the phonograph he invented earlier in his life. He would turn this machine on, and while alone, begin asking questions. It would record his questions as well as the pauses in between. When playing the recording back on a regular phonograph, he was amazed to find other voices providing answers. Since no one else was in the room during the experiment, he deducted that these were “spirit voices”. The recording device he used is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institute. Using the same concept, we place tape recorders, DAT (Digital Audio Tape) recorders, etc. , in “active” areas and find strange voices recorded. Often times, people talking about us and questioning what we are doing with all this strange equipment.

EVP has always been and still remains one of the more controversial methods of trying to provide evidence of the paranormal. The basic principle behind EVP collection is the use of an audio recording device in an attempt to catch voices and/or sounds of an unexplained nature. Before we begin to analyze sounds we need to gain a greater understanding of how they operate and the physics behind their creation.

Sounds are changes in pressure in an elastic medium such as the atmosphere that can be detected by the human auditory system. This pressure change is called a sound wave. The human auditory system can only interpret these changes in pressure or sound waves if they are cycling in the range of 20 to 20,000Hz. Anything below the 20Hz level is called infrasonic and anything above 20,000Hz is called ultrasonic. The human ear cannot perceive sound waves in the infrasonic or ultrasonic sound range. A sound wave will also loose intensity the farther away from the source of the atmospheric disturbance it travels. A sound wave can also travel through solid objects such as walls. This makes it difficult to determine the originating source of the sound wave.

Frequency is the measure of the rate at which electromagnetic waves are generated. Frequency is measured in cycles per second, called hertz (Hz) after the German scientist who first discovered radio waves. (1 Hz equals one cycle per second.) The field around power lines, for example, is predominantly 60 Hz. Radio wave frequencies range from 300 Hz to billions of hertz. Electromagnetic waves with similar frequencies can be grouped together. These groupings form the electromagnetic spectrum with low-frequency waves (sometimes called ELF for extremely low frequencies) at one end and high-frequency waves at the other. Radio waves, microwaves, and infrared light can be found at the lower end of the spectrum. Ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma rays occupy the upper end. Visible light, including sunlight, occupies the middle region. Microwaves are used in the transmission of telephone and telegraph messages, communications between earth and orbiting satellites, and in relaying certain television broadcast signals.