Recent talk about the use of the KII meter in ghost hunting has made me pull my meter back out for a little bit of testing. Many people have remarked on how often Jason and Grant from TAPS and the SciFi show "Ghost Hunters" have hits with the KII. I've owned my about six months without one false hit. I have to admit, I'm skeptical by nature and the fact that only Jason and Grant use the meter and it works for them often had me wondering. I know they use a penny to hold down the lever to keep the meter on, which is what I also do. That gave me a theory that if the penny wasn't holding it down adequately, the meter could turn off and off which would make it go through the lineup of lights.
I took the meter out and tested it as I've done many times in the past. To get it to go off near the computer screen, I need to be within five inches. For other items it won't even light up. It's rather sensitive electrically, so you better be right on a source. When I was testing, however, I set the meter down on my desk and it went nuts. There was nothing around except a container with pens and pencils. It baffled me for all of three minutes as I moved it around and found that one spot was a "hot spot" (see photo above of it lit to the red light). A little debunking, however, and logical thinking (it had to be something electric, it only happened in that one specific spot), and I figured out the culprit. There was nothing electrical around it, but there was under it. Beneath my desk is my surge protective electrical strip. Sure enough, I held it up to it and that was the problem.
So, I went on to test the penny theory. I have to tell you, stuffing a penny into that lever is very hard and getting it out is harder. Trying to wiggle it, put it in partially, or any other possible variable does not make it go off. After extensive testing with that, I am actually convinced I can sign off the "penny" is the culprit scenario. I'm rather surprised. I really thought that might be the problem.
When the meter sits out in the open, like on a chair, on a bed, wherever Jason and Grant like to set it, there's just no way it's going to go off. There's nothing even faintly intermittent in the room that could set that off. I've tried every possible scenario, even turning on light switches, turning on everything around the room, and I couldn't get the meter to go off. So, if that meter goes off and they have it sitting out in the open, I'm impressed. Well, kinda...
Then, we get down to the two other issues with the meter. One, is that Jason and Grant use it exclusively and many times it actually goes off when they put their hand near it. It definitely has me wondering if they are the types that can affect electrical, but I find that hard to believe. I admit, I can't wear watches for more than a few hours or they die and I often set off store alarms when I walk through them, but even I can't make that meter go off. Hell, my clock telephone won't make it go off.
That had me thinking about one more variable we haven't covered yet. Grant and Jason both wear walkies. They also wear microphones and (I'm certainly not a production person) but they wear some sort of battery pack for that. A sound man and videographer are also nearby. The equipment used to make the production of this show could definitely be interfering with this piece of equipment. That is one test I can't do since I don't have access to television production equipment. I can only assume that if you're carrying a walkie and it's turned on, it's a receiver and a transmitter and EVP could be questionable as well because an EVR is a receiver and could pick up signals from other sources. As well, if you're wearing a body microphone and a power pack and you lean into the KII meter--will you affect it. If you step back, will it turn off?
The next step is to go watch past episodes using the KII and see their body positioning when it's going on and off. I would like to think they would debunk their own methods, but sometimes we get so used to our own equipment, we forget it could interfere. Let me know if any of you find anything on old episodes.
That being said, the KII going off is highly impressive, but I won't be totally sold on its efficacy until I see Jason and Grant take off their equipment, move the sound and video guy far back and set the KII meter in the middle of the room and step away from it. If they can still get responses in those conditions, then I will truly say this piece of equipment is amazing and I'm thrilled to have it in my arsenal.
We appreciate you testing the KII meter. The question to whether it is a useful piece of equipment has come up in several blog comments. I was wondering if the battery packs and the other sound crews were interferring with the KII meter going off. I can't wait to see the KII in action when we get the opportunity to ghost hunt with you.
ReplyDelete--Julie--
Yeah, you'll find the meter really won't go off for just anything. The EMF meter can get very subtle fluctuations in the room, even away from the walls, which makes it very difficult because of its calibration, but the KII meter, from my understanding, is basically just a tool to see if a wire is live before working on a site, so you really have to be right up on it. I'm going to ask hubby tonight (an electrical engineer and genius test equipment designer) if he has a battery pack for any body mic's (he's in a band). I'd like to actually be able to test it on one or something similar. Once I know how it works around such equipment, then I can feel much better about its efficacy. Did you see the episode where the dude got hit with his sound equipment and thrown to the ground? I'm wondering what a pack like that powers. There is also the theory that all this electrical they're using is making it possible for ghosts to manifest. I'd love to see a truly controlled environment with them doing testing without so much power--have the breakers turned off, have their walkies and mic's off their bodies, the sound and photography guys far off, the meter sitting on a table away from their bodies... Of course, since I can't get them to do it, I'll just have to try it myself. This will be an opportunity to see if I just threw away 50 bucks or if it's really helpful. So far, the EMF meter I don't use very often anymore. Because it is so sensitive, unless there's activity going on and a temperature drop, I won't use it for just coasting around a room. I'd rather use my senses, but use it to verify if something does happen.
ReplyDeleteAutumn i hope you weren't upset by my article or comments on the bf blog, but i look at so many blogs that put the bigfoot name in just to attract people and they are absolute nonsense. You have a wonderful blog and i have redone my article as i felt i didn't state it correctly.
ReplyDeleteElla;
ReplyDeleteI didn't think you were being remiss. I just figured I should have forwarded you the article in case you missed it because you love Bigfoot like I do. I'd love to get your input on which movies you like about the Big Guy.
Mike and Julie;
I had an extensive discussion with hubby about KII. An important part of his job with Fender Guitars is to test equipment (amps) to be certain there's no crossover from other RF sources. He told me that unless the team goes into a cave with no equipment other than a flashlight and the meter, there will always be the possibility that RF in the atmosphere all around us could be interfering and certainly their own equipment they're wearing could interfere. There's nothing scientifically verifiable about the way they're using the KII meter. The same goes for EVPs because the receivers could pick up their walkies, cell phones, and all kinds of other devices that are transmitters. He then proceeded to tell me how the professor on Gilligan's Island could have changed their radio from a receiver to a transmitter and got them off the island sooner. Hee hee
So the Professor knew what he was doing afterall, lol. I had a wee bit of a crush on him. Thanks for your information.
ReplyDeleteJulie
Julie; I just about spit my juice out of my mouth when I read that. I thought I was the only girl in the world who totally dug the Professor. I remember as a kid watching "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and saying "I want to marry him." I ended up marrying a gadget-head. I totally get into when he's at his mad scientist looking bench calibrating and testing things. I'm such a geek at heart!
ReplyDeletehmm I go with the transmitters interaction theory. Maybe TAPS should turn off all their equipment before using the K2...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xb_u-Bnoiw
- JP
After reading your blog it makes me wonder what
ReplyDeletewould make a k2 meter go off the scale when placed next to Rockadamus, the Harbinger Rock. Please take a look at the video on youtube and let me know you thoughs. Doug