Ghost Box/RadioShack Hack

First, let's begin with a bit of a history lesson on something I have been doing some research on. There seems to be a new legend soaring throughout the paranormal community right now that Thomas Edison planned on creating some type of device that could provide two-way communication with the dead. Please be aware that there are not facts to prove that Edison was indeed in the process of creating any such device. In fact, many people who study Thomas Edison and his work will say that this is nothing but a myth. However, while I am a firm believer in paranormal phenomenon and things like EVP, we must stick to facts here. And the fact is that there is no evidence Thomas Edison was ever in the process of creating a device like a ghost box.
Most of us are familiar with EVP. But for some who may not know, EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomenon. This is a technique most ghost hunters use during their investigation. When conducting an EVP session an investigator will walk around a presumed haunted location with an audio recorder asking questions such as "Is there anyone here?" or "Can you please tell me your name?" Now, the investigator will not hear any audible responses at the time, but upon playback of the recording may indeed hear a voice answering his or her questions. Being that that one could not hear the voice at the time of the recording, it is difficult to establish a form on 2 way communication. This is where the ghost box comes into play.

The ghost box, or RadioShack Hack as it is sometimes known as, sounds like the answer to everyone who wants to establish communication with the other side. The way this ghost box works is it tunes the AM/FM channels on a radio back and forth without stopping. Frank Sumption (creator of a similar device called Franks Box) calls this the sweeping method. The schematics are simply obtained by doing a Google search for "How to build a ghost box." So just out of curiosity I decided to build one. The specific ghost box I built is called the RadioShack Hack. What it is precisely is a hand held AM/FM radio (CAT. NO. 12-469)

which can be purchased for about $25. What you do is remove the screws in the back and gently pull the backing off, thus exposing the two connected circuit boards. Next, unscrew the screw that connected these two circuit boards and gently pry them apart. Now that you have the circuit boards split apart, on the bottom of the top circuit board you will see a strip with 13 pins in it. You need to find the pin which reads "Mute" (which I believe is the 5th pin in) and either clip it with wire cutters or bend it down. What this does is eliminate the pause when changing through the channels. This gives you the sweep effect wherein you never stop between channels. Now, carefully reassemble the radio, insert your batteries, and there you have it.

Now for the big question: Does it work? The answer is yes, but only in the sense that it does sweep through the radio channels. I have used this device plenty of times with absolutely no success of any communication with the other side. What I believe is going on is that when the ghost box sweeps, it scans channels very rapidly, but you still catch single words here and there. I have to admit there were times when I would ask a question and I would hear what seemed to be a response. But honestly folks, there is so much voice interference that it leaves more than enough room for doubt. And if there is any doubt, any respectable paranormal investigator should never consider it evidence.

What is happening here is that people want so desperately to make contact that their judgment is being clouded and they are matrixing words. For example, suppose there is a car advertisement which says, "Welcome to Sam's Car Lot, where you can get the best quality cars for the cheapest prices. Heck, if you can find a dealer cheaper than us, we'll watch it. YES folks, I said "match it.'" And as the radio is scanning you ask "Is there anyone here?" and you pick up the "yes" from the commercial, that is not contact, no matter how bad someone wants it to be. As paranormal investigators we need to look for the most logical answers and when no logical answer can be found, then we may have to look towards the paranormal side of things. With the ghost box scanning that broadcasters are speaking on, there are simply too many things to factor in before claiming they are the voices of the dead. If anyone thinks they have had success with this device and has any audio samples, please send them to me at Toledo_Paranormal@hotmail.com.