Perhaps you’re new to ghost hunting, or you heard of the K2 EMF meters since they have existed in the ghost-hunting world for about 20 years. Despite their history, K2 EMF meters and how you use them in a ghost hunting investigation differ from what they did in the past. In the past, ghost hunters used them to rule out electromagnetic fields influencing people to experience the feeling of a haunting.
Today, ghost hunters believe in electromagnetic fields as a product of ghosts rather than something that interferes with ghost hunting. Let’s look at how to use a K2 EMF meter to hunt ghosts.
If you are new to EMF meters, you can check out my article K2 EMF Meter for Ghost Hunting: What is It?
Step #1: Hold the EMF Meter with Your Thumb on the Switch
When you turn on the EMP meter, beware of keeping your cell phone in your pocket (or even better turned off) since this can set off the meter. In daily use outside of ghost hunting, electricians and construction workers use K2 EMF meters to diagnose problems with electrical wiring and power lines to protect from harmful radiation.
There are models of EMF meters that register both A/C and D/C currents. These devices are often a bit more costly but worth investing in if you are serious about your ghost hunting.
For that reason, you must remain keenly aware of any electronics in your pockets. The same goes for all electronics that might be used during a paranormal investigation.
Did you know? There are kinds of EMF meters, one that detect electromagnetic from electrical devices and those that register electromagnetic currents deriving from the Earth. It is very important to know what kind of EMF meter you use. Depending on what you are looking for, both models are useful – but you have to know what you are measuring.
Step #2: Make sure you have backup batteries
A good practice when going on a ghost hunt is to always have backup batteries ready to go. As paranormal activity is known to drain batteries, you should always carry batteries with you.
Step #3: Point the Meter at the Electromagnetic Source
Before you start your baseline sweep it is important to know that your device works perfectly. Place the device near an electric device that is turned on. Your EMF meter should deliver a hit – if not you need to troubleshoot your device.
Step #4: Conduct a baseline reading
It is important to conduct a baseline sweep prior to your paranormal investigation. My recommendation is to do it room by room. If you are a beginner, start with just one room as it easily can get overwhelming.
Draw the outlines of the room on a piece of paper. Create a grid system and start walking up and down the “lines.” If you experience any hits, note it on the paper. When the reading is done, investigate what might be the cause of the hit.
In most cases, it is due to electrical wiring, boilers, or other electrical equipment. It is always best to conduct readings during dark hours, as you can turn the main electrical switch off. This will eliminate many “false hits.”
Depending on the scope of the investigation the grid can be more or less “accurate” and complicated. If you are a beginner a grid like the one below is enough. If you are doing professional readings, you need a more detailed and narrow grid. You also need to be precise with the measurements of the room and the grid itself.
Ghosts and paranormal activity are thought to give off electromagnetic currents. These currents are read by the EMF meter. When you have hits that can’t be explained, it might indicate that you found a ghost.
When you point the meter at an electromagnetic source, you should see a quick flash of LEDs on the meter. This doesn’t always indicate that you have a ghost in your presence.
What indicates a ghostly presence? Most ghost hunters look for unexplainable spikes on the K-II EMF meter as an indicator of paranormal activity. Anything where the meter becomes erratic, and you can tell this because of how the LEDs will start to go off on it.
Step #5: Ask Questions for the Ghosts
Most ghost hunters believe that the erratic energy spikes come from ghosts because of them opening a portal. In some cases, ghost hunters will ask the ghost to light up the LEDs on the meter in response to questions they ask. Usually, they ask them to light it up either as a yes or a no to the question.
You can imagine that this can go terribly wrong, so you need to know your equipment when you use it. Be aware of the electrical sources. You don’t want to learn that you just spent the last 10 minutes interviewing the microwave.
Manufacturers made some devices as single-axis meters. This means that the meter will only read one axis, and it won’t read the other two. To get the best reading with a single-axis meter, you must rotate it for all three axes. Know the device that you buy to get the most from it.
Step #6: Look at the LEDs to Determine the Fluctuations
The regular instructions will tell you to look at the LEDs to determine the EMF range, but when ghost hunting, look for spikes in activity since ghosts don’t have an EMF range. They spike the meter. Look for high readings. Again, you must check to see that it happened from an unexplainable source, and I wouldn’t recommend that you depend solely on this.
It is always a good practice to support any hits with readings from other types of devices. I always recommend doing an EVP recording or checking for temperature fluctuations when getting EMF hits.
Expert advice: Not all ghost hunters use the K2 EMF meter, but those that do use it will use it combined with other devices. Many ghost hunters will use a K2 EMF meter in combination with a temperature gun to check for unexplainable changes in temperature. Night vision cameras, surveillance devices, and motion detectors are all good ghost-hunting extras.
Step #7: Move the Device Side to Side
As I mentioned before, if you have a one-axis device, you want to move the device from side to side. In some cases, this changes the reading, but it will give you the most accurate reading possible. The highest reading is the most accurate.
Step #8: Move Closer or Farther Away
Once you determine the EMF source, move closer or farther away to determine what the normal range looks like. It is recommended to take a look at your baseline reading. This helps you to determine if you’re dealing with ghosts or not. You should always look for ways to prove yourself wrong when ghost hunting.
Look for the truly unexplainable rather than trying to prove yourself right because the experience will be that much more intense. In addition, if you want to show friends or family, it can do away with the skeptics if you set out to be your own biggest skeptic from the start. Try to explain things before calling it a ghost.
Step #9: Make a report of your session
It is important to always keep a record of your readings, hits, and thoughts, as well as temperature and weather conditions at the time of the investigation. This is helpful if you want to do further investigations. Most paranormal investigations are done over several days.
In the list below, you find the basic information that needs to be entered into your final report.
- Date
- Place
- Room
- Time
- Team members on site
- What kind of device was used
- Baseline reading
- Investigation findings
- Weather conditions
- Barometric readings
- Psychic readings or hunches
- Thoughts and needs for further investigation
K2 EMF Meter: What to Know
I would recommend you buy this in a kit since most K2 EMF meters for ghost hunting will come in a kit with other useful ghost hunting devices. Ghost hunters think of this as an extra device in their tool kit. You must stay alert to the potential for false alerts on it. I would use it in combination with other tools in your kit.
To be able to regard any hits as paranormal during an investigation you need hits on at least two different types of devices.
The Ghost Hunting Spirit Box gives you a great example of one of those kits, which includes a K2 EMF meter, a digital EVP recorder, and a P-SB7 Spirit Box. The free speaker thrown in makes this an even better deal. All the gadgets are fun and easy to use and for a beginner, it gives you all the ghost hunting tools that you will need to get started.
Final Thoughts
The K2 EMF meter grew in popularity when it made an appearance on Ghost Hunters. Grant Wilson used it on season three episode 12 of “The Manson Murders.” He used it as a way to communicate with spirits in the show.
I wouldn’t recommend using this in your home, especially if you spook easily since electromagnetic fields exist everywhere. However, the K2 EMF meter has its place as a valuable tool for ghost-hunting adventures. Most ghost hunters will add this technology to their tool kit, but by itself, it won’t add much value.
