| In Defense of the Stud-Finder Randy Robertson, c. 2007 I have read on many sites that the "Ghost Hunting Supply Industry" has a habit of re-labeling common stud-finders, jacking the price about 600% and selling them to novices as EMF detectors. While I have not seen this done personally, I can believe that someone crooked enough could find someone uninformed enough to do this. And the novice usually finds this out when someone more experienced tells him how he was swindled. This is normally accompanied by sneers at best, pointing and laughing at worst. And so the shameful gadget gets tossed in a box never to be seen or discussed again. But wait! There's no need for that. A good stud-finder can be a valued tool, well worth the meager cost and the price of a few grating comments from your colleagues. Many of you know this scenario: You're doing an EMF sweep when your sensor starts to spike really high. It's steady when you stand still, but then begins fluctuating madly when you start to move. You check the local appliances and can't find the source, so it must be paranormal, right? Wrong. You've likely located a patch of bad wiring in the walls. Even if you haven't, skeptics will say you did. You need to find out one way or another. I always carry a stud-finder in my gizmo-box for such an occasion. Whenever I get an EMF spike that is not-quite-normal and not-quite-paranormal, I always check the nearby walls and try to find the culprit. It has deep-scan capability to get past that dense surface layer, can detect ferrous and non-ferrous metals such as steel studs or electrical conduits, and can also detect live wiring inside lightly shielded conduits. Once you've located the suspect, check the location with the EMF sensor to see if the spikes match. Note that I say "lightly shielded." If the conduit shielding is up-to-specifications, you wouldn't have detected anything with the EMF sensor to begin with. Be aware that older homes used aluminum or copper conduit, while newer homes use plastic. A good stud-finder may not detect the plastic, but will detect the wiring inside even if it's not live. Also remember that plastics CAN be electrified, and can be detected by several sensors if it is. When I was doing carpentry work, I learned quickly that both Zircon and Stanley made fine sensors for their designed job, and this holds true for paranormal research as well. Stanley sensors are a bit more durable, while Zircon tends to be lower cost and faster to use. Both are completely suitable for work in paranormal research. The best part of this is that these instruments are fairly common, and you should be able to find them in many garage sales and flea markets. Stud-finders are made mainly from hard-wired parts so they either work or they don't. Just take a battery with you (usually a 9-volt) to test it before you buy it, and you'll have no problems. |