This is the third installment of a four part series on Mother Nature’s effects on your paranormal investigation.

On the previous two blog entries and podcast episodes entitled Mother Nature’s Effects On Your Paranormal Investigation – Part 1 and Mother Nature’s Effects On Your Paranormal Investigation – Part 2 we discussed natural situations and phenomena due to meteorology as well as from from the cosmos that can affect a paranormal investigation. Some of this material is from previous blog entries and podcasts that I have produced in the past.

Today I will discuss four naturally occurring phenomena that pertain to radio waves as well as a few miscellaneous natural phenomenon that can affect a paranormal investigation

Ionospheric Radio Wave Propagation – There is a phenomenon that allows long distance communications that is called ionospheric radio wave propagation. This phenomenon occurs when solar magnetic radiation emanating from sunspots, which are magnetic storms on the sun, electrically charges the Earth’s ionosphere. The ionosphere is a region of Earth’s atmosphere that ranges from 30 to 250 miles above the surface of the Earth. When solar electromagnetic radiation causes the ionosphere to become electrically charged it causes the ionosphere to act like a mirror for radio signals below 30MHz so it is possible for the signals to bounce off the charged ionosphere and end up hundreds or up to 10,000+ miles away on the other side of the world. Radio signals also can bounce off of the Earth’s terrain and water to allow for multiple skips. Sunspots which cause radio propagation are on a 11 year cycle, therefore ionospheric radio wave propagation conditions go on a 11 year cycle (intensity wise). In 2006 we were at the lowest activity part of the cycle. The cycle peaked again in 2013 and is estimated to peak again in November 2024. It is predicted to be the strongest solar peak on record. Ionospheric radio wave propagation isn’t always happening. Some days it is very strong and using an AM radio, Citizen’s Band Radio, or a Short-wave Radio you can hear signals coming from all over the world. Other days there is no active ionospheric radio wave propagation due to ionospheric conditions. The level of propagation completely depends on sunspot intensity on the surface of the sun. There is no exact science to predict when propagation conditions will be present, but there are ways to have a well informed guess. Often the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is a department within the United States Government, will report when there was a big solar flare which will create Aurora Borealis or Aurora Australias (Northern and Southern Lights). This can often increase ionospheric radio wave propagation. The are really only two things that you can do to see if there is ionospheric radio wave propagation conditions in your area. The first way is to buy a shortwave radio and check out multiple radio bands below 30MHz. The easier option is to monitor two websites which are maintained by the NOAA. The Space Weather report (caused by the Sun) can be found at https://www.swpc.noaa.gov . That is a website to look at in the few days leading up to your investigation. Just before and during your investigation it is beneficial to check on the current status of the ionospheric radio wave propagation reports can be found at https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/radio-communications .

Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australias – This phenomenon, also known as the northern lights, and the southern lights depending on whether it is from the North Pole or the South Pole, is caused by the Sun. The Sun emits charged particles and if enough interact with the Earth’s magnetic field exciting atoms and molecules in Earth’s atmosphere and it results with the molecules and atoms lighting up. The various gases in Earth’s atmosphere causes the different colors. While nitrogen causes red and blue aurora, oxygen causes green aurora. Aurora can appear to be in waves or spirals. So how can this affect a paranormal investigation? Such as with ionospheric radio wave propagation, radio signals can bounce off of aurora, however upon doing so, unlike ionospheric radio wave propagation, the signals are distorted greatly. If one is strong enough to interact with your audio equipment it can come across as a distorted voice which could be misinterpreted as paranormal activity. Your device can receive the original signal and the one that bounced off of the atmosphere milliseconds apart making it sound uniquely distorted. If you are someone who insists on using a Spirit/Franks/Ghost box, which can not interact with ghosts by the way, another victim of the availability cascade that I spoke about in the previous episode which basically means false information has been passed around for so long that some people believe it as fact and nothing will convince them otherwise because they so badly want and need to believe that this device can do what it claimed of it. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but the device can’t do what it claimed of it. Anywho that particular device can pick up the distorted radio signals which can then further fuel the incorrect assumption that what you are hearing on the device is paranormal activity. If you wish to hear more on that particular topic of paranormal investigation equipment that I don’t recommend seek out my blog entry or podcast entitled “Paranormal Investigation Equipment That I Don’t Recommend”

Meteor Scatter – This is where man made and natural radio signals can reflect off of the countless meteors that are near our planet, particularly from the debris trails that are left behind by comets, and reflect back down towards the surface of the Earth. This can cause the same interference with your investigation as Ionospheric Radio Wave Propagation. Some radio communication hobbyists engage in this method of communication for the challenge and entertainment. If there is active ionospheric radio wave propagation there is the possibility for meteor scatter.

Moon Bounce – This is where radio signals being produced by man on the Earth bounce off of the moon and come back to Earth. Amateur radio communication hobbyists often engage in Earth-Moon-Earth communication recreationally. This can cause the same interference with your investigation as Ionospheric Radio Wave Propagation if the signals are strong enough. If there is active ionospheric radio wave propagation there is the possibility for moon bounce.

Is there a way to keep all of these radio waves from affecting your audio equipment. YES there is! It is called a faraday bag or a faraday cage. They run in cost from $15-$25 depending on size. I use one on my voice recorder to block out any potential radio signals. I know some of you are saying right now, but Mr. Extreme if I use a faraday bag on my Spirt/Ghost/Frank’s box I won’t hear anything because the radio waves are being blocked out and the spirits can’t talk to me! Oy vey! Let me tell you about this device if you hadn’t read my blog post or heard my podcast about this device on the episode entitled “Paranormal Investigation Equipment That We Don’t Recommend”.

The Spirit/Franks/Ghost box device was proposed and created by Frank Sumption in 2002. He proposed that a modified short wave radio would allow a deceased entity to speak to the living through the device. Frank claimed that he received the instructions on how to build the device from the spirit world. Although there isn’t science of any kind to back up his proclamations many in the paranormal investigation field began using copies of the device as they enjoyed the premise that such a device could be feasible. Users of this device believe that somehow after death a spirit has gained the skillset to speak through radio waves being picked up by the device, which scans through radio frequencies at a fast rate. Some people swear by this device, but they may not understand the deeper science pertaining to the device, electromagnetic radiation, and the capabilities of a deceased human spirit. Personally I would love it if the device could do what it is claimed to do, or that a paranormal entity after death gained the skill set to engage in a superhuman feat of speaking on radio frequencies or manipulating the device to allow it to do so. The desire for such a device to exist and the want for its advertised capabilities to be true by so many people that you will still find forms of this device being used everywhere. What you are hearing when using this device are snippets of radio transmissions from broadcast radio stations. Some people claim that what you are hearing is a spirit speaking, or a spirit controlling what words get through. If you put the device in a faraday bag which blocks out most radio signals you will find that the device has gone silent. I am someone that has been a radio communications hobbyist for nearly 30 years. I run one of the largest communication groups in the world. Any radio technician will tell you that the ghost box can not do what it is claimed to do. I ask again how in death does a spirit gain the ability to speak using FM radio or modify the components of a radio to speak through it? There is something called Observer Expectancy Effect. In this case it basically means that the person using the device expects it to do what is claimed that it can do, and perceives any output from the device in a way that it backs up their personal desire for the device to do what it is claimed to do. Please don’t spend any money on this device. At least the K II meter can be used to find radiation sources in a house. I wish there was a device that did what is claimed the ghost box could do, or that people gained the skill set to do what is theorized that they can do after death. I am sorry. None of it is true. Please step back for a minute and think with some general scientific logic. What is claimed of this device isn’t scientifically possible.

On our next episode entitled Mother Nature’s Effects On Your Paranormal Investigation – Part 4 we will discuss other various phenomena that are naturally occurring that can influence a paranormal investigation.