Subject: Re: Electromagnetic fields
From: Frits Westra <fwestra@...>
Date: 18 Feb 2002 00:21
Hello Barb, Thank you for your extensive message and my apologies for my late reply. On 13th February 2002, Barbara Huyser <barb@...> wrote: >The electromagnetic fields I have found during paranormal >investigations clearly do not have an artificial source. I'm >very careful about that. I use a Tri-Field meter and one >other (I don't have it here at work and cannot recall the >brand name). Information about Tri-Field meters can be >obtained at www.alphalabs.com I'm familiar with the TriField, as I use one myself :-) >A typical background reading with no electrical sources (such >as in the middle of a cornfield or cemetery) is usually .2 to >.3 milligauss. An EMF detector that is held up against a >television set will usually read between 20 to 25 milligauss. > An EMF detector held about one foot away from a television > set will usually read about 8 to 10 milligauss. The > spherical shape of the field around the television can be > traced out by moving the EMF detector out in any direction > from the TV set. I've found similar field strenghts near TV sets and other electrical equipment such as HiFi sets. >I use the same technique for tracing out paranormal fields. >I consider a field to be potentially paranormal if I find a >reading of 1 milligauss or higher in a location where there >are no electrical sources at hand. For example, on one >occasion in a haunted bed and breakfast, I found a field >where the center registered at 9 milligauss hovering about 5 >feet over a bed. Taking the EMF detector from that point in >any direction showed a steady decrease in readings until they >reached about 4.5 milligauss at the ceiling and 4 milligauss >at the bed. That field was quite large. I was able to trace >the edge of field going sideways as being about 12 feet in >diameter (6 feet on either side of that center reading of 9 >milligauss). There was no identifiable cause for that >electromagnetic field, given that there was no light fixture >or other electrical appliance over or under the bed (which >would not explain why the strongest reading was in mid-air >anyway). It would be interesting to see whether the field stays up when you switch off the mains in this house. I've come across situations in houses where there were elevated field levels at spots several meters away form electrical wiring or equipment. No identifiable EM sources near the field meter to be found. Nevertheless, most of the times (though not always) the fields disappeared when the electricity was switched off. >It is more difficult to locate these fields in open spaces, >such as cemeteries. They move and it can be very difficult >to pin down their location. It is usually easier to locate >the cold spots in a cemetery. I utilize a non-contact >thermometer (more often called a thermal scanner among ghost >hunters) to find them. It is an instrument that looks rather >like a pistol. You simply point and shoot and it uses a >laser to read the surface temperature of whatever you aim it >at. I've found this device to be effective at locating cold >spots for as far away as 30 or 40 meters. The cold spots I >have found have had anywhere from a 5 to 25 degree >temperature difference from the surrounding air. The use of this thermal scanner is completely new to me. Interesting! > When I find >that kind of temperature difference, I bring out the EMF >detector and try to find the source. The problem is that the >electromagnetic field that is creating the cold spot can be >anywhere in that 30 or 40 meters. The EMF detector has to >pass through the electromagnetic field in order to locate it. > Often, the field shifts to a different spot before I can > find it. >Haunted house investigations offer an easier opportunity to >locate the field because they are in an enclosed area. For >example, during one investigation, the ghost seemed to be >following the team around as we were doing a sweep of the >house. At one point, there was a cold spot directly in front >of the home owner as she stood on the stairs. I was able to >put my hand in the cold spot and trace out the shape of the >electomagnetic field with the EMF detector. It was, once >again, a sphere where the strongest reading was about 3 >milligauss at the center. I was able to feel a coolness and >sense of resistance against the movement of my hand, along >with a tingling sensation. Within a few minutes, the readings >went down to normal and the cold spot disappeared. Do you think that you have a special sensitivity to EM fields? I know that I'm unable to feel a 3 mG field, however, I have felt unwell after I had spent considerable time in the open under high-tension lines which caused 35 mG on the ground, according to the TriField readings. >I have found paranormal fields that did not have a colder >temperature than the surrounding air. These fields were >found indoors during a sweep of a room with an EMF detector, >but did not register as a cold spot when checked with the >thermal scanner or digital thermometer. I have found some >fields that felt cold to the touch, but did not have an >actual temperature variation that could be detected by the >thermometer. I have also experienced the tingling sensation >when encountering one of these fields. This is usually my >cue that I've just run into the ghost. This would fit in >with the research you referred to by Albert Budden. I am not >familiar with his work, but then I have focused primarily on >ghost research rather than other areas of the paranormal. Albert Budden has explained some of his theories on this list a while ago. You may find it in the list archive at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysterylights >I am curious as to how much overlap there is with the work >that we have been doing. We may be exploring some of the >same phenomenon and attributing them to different causes. >The UFO researcher sees a light over a field and attributes >it to a UFO. The ghost researcher sees the same light and >attributes it to a restless spirit. The geologist sees the >light and wants to know where the faultline is? Maybe all of >these are correct in analyzing similar kinds of phenomenon. According to Budden there are many connections between a number of strange phenomena and EM. Best regards, Frits Westra -- fwestra@...