One of the first considerations new investigators have is what equipment they will need. There are certain things that simply go without saying you will need for all investigations. We'll simply list them here first; the only qualification is to use good quality models where applicable. A cheap flashlight that falls apart the first time it is used does no one any good! That said, all investigators should carry:
If your investigation involves something else, electrical disturbances in a house, the retrieval of some unknown object, or something as common as frogs falling from the sky, then you will have to be the judge of what is appropriate for the investigation. The point is that investigations vary widely and it is difficult to say what you may encounter. The important thing to remember is to take your time and gather whatever you feel is applicable when you are dealing with something unknown. Take your time and be safe!
Cameras
Well take a look at still cameras first. It should be noted that many of the same requirements also apply to video as well. There are two ways the camera can be expected to be used. By far the most common is to record the scene of a sighting after the fact. Generally this is done in daylight with the witness present at the time of the initial interview. The witness simply takes you to the area where the creature was seen and relates what was seen to you. The camera is used to take photos of the area.
Generally photgraphy is taken of the immediate area and any evidence which may be recovered before removing it from where it was found. Your camera should be able to zoom in on any such residue and provide good detail as well as take pictures 10 - 20 feet away. Lighting is generally good so flash is not a major consideration unless you are in some close-up condition. Almost any decent quality camera will suffice for these types of investigations.
Other concerns may be present in cases involving unusual phenomena, but since these are quite varied, it is difficult to make any recommendations. Most general photography conditions will apply though, you may be photographing some object close in which is causing a noise. That could be a tree limb rubbing a house, or signs of a pipe in a metal hanger, for example. The demands generally aren't extreme so most point and shoot cameras will be satisfactory.
Perhaps the most extreme conditions might be night photography while you are out on a camping trip searching for some elusive creature. Often this requires long range flash or slave flash capabilities and a good quality zoom lens. Cameras used for these types of applications should also allow the use of a remote shutter release which can be adapted to an electronic control. More about that under motion sensing.
Audio Recorders
The type of audio recorder used for Bigfoot or creature research is not a major concern. Unlike some other forms of investigation it generally does not record actual evidence, rather it is used to either keep a log of the investigator's observations or to take a witness statement. For this purpose almost any reasonable quality digital voice recorder is fine.
The primary concern is its ease of use. Since it is probable the recorder may be used to take witness statements, it is likely you may want to transcribe the testimony onto paper at a later time. The recorder should have a means of starting and stopping playback that takes this into consideration. Plus a time stamp may be beneficial, although not a necessity.
Overall quality should also be taken into account. It does little good to show up to do an interview with a recorder that is a piece of junk. While it certainly doesn't have to be expensive, at least take one step above the bottom of the line and get something dependable.
One exception is the creature hunt. It may be desirable to set up a recorder to capture the sounds of a Bigfoot or other anim,al for that matter. This is done using a high gain amplifier and parabolic or shotgun microphone. If you are doing this type of project your recorder should have provisions to accept an external line level input from a mixer or preamplifier unit. Stereo recording capabilities are also desirable since by using a dual channel system you can gain the depth and clarity to better hear the sounds of the outdoors including any animal you may manage to capture on the recorder.
Unlike EVP work, you will probably not be doing any extremely low level recording so special processing is not normally a concern. You can use either analog or digital recording systems, although the quality of the final audio is detrmined by the quality of the recorder and microphone system you use.
Mixer and Preamplifier
While we are discussing audio, one piece of ewquipment is very helpful if you are doing outdoor recording of nature or other sounds. The mixer allows you to blend a couple microphones into a dual channel input on you recorder. it will also provide a boost in the signal level improving over ll quality.
EMF Monitors
Now we enter the area of specialty equipment. The EMF monitor has not been shown to be particularly useful in Bigfoot cases. One exception might be in doing long distance audio recording where it might serve to detect a stray field which could interfere with your audio.
If your case involves electrical disturbances however, it could prove very useful at locating the source of such disturbances. The Dynamic EM Field monitor would be the most beneficial here since the most likely cause is something man made.
Thermal Imaging
There is a consideration that thermal imaging might be useful for Bigfoot and animal sightings. But for animal reports like cougar sightings and other out of place animals it could be helpful. Most large animals of this nature are warm blooded and if the report suggests a common animal simply not native to the area it is being reported, then a FLIR system would pick it up. But for more exotic creatures like Bigfoot or Chupacabra there is no information that even says these are warm blooded. It is still open to conjecture whether a FLIR system would be beneficial here.
Ultrasonics and Infrasonics
The sound most commonly associated with Bigfoot sightings is well within the normal audio spectrum. There seems little reason to extend beyond it. But there have been various sounds which extend beyond the audio spectrum when it comes to other anomalies. consider the Taos Hum which has been reported as a low frequency hum by residents around Taos, New Mexico. The exact source has not been confirmed but power plants, a government base, and natural earth sounds have been put forward as the cause. An infrasound system has been used and frequency measured. Continued research using an infrasound system might prove useful in this case.
Temperature and Environmental
To date there has been little coorelation of temperature and humidity to Bigfoot sightings. But if your case involves unexplained sounds in or around a house, knowing the temperature and other environmental data might help you resolve a case related to expansion and contraction of the building.
© APR 2008 - J.Brown