West Coast Ghost and Paranormal Society

Working on the website

Andy — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:05:30 +0000

Today I have been working hard on the WCGAPS website. I decided to scrap the old site and do a completely new site. I plan to reuse most of the copy but redoing the entire structure of the site to hopefully be much easier for everyone to use. I am also enabling comments all over the site so we can start getting everyones feedback on what we do and what we think. So if there is anything that you want to see on our site let me know and I will do my best to get that going. Thanks all have fun!

Checking Back In

Andy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:46:22 +0000

Things have been really busy lately at WCGAPS and also in my personal life so I have been seriously slacking in my blogging duties. I am trying to get back into this so bear with me a tad.

So WCGAPS has been really busy working on a ton of things. We are trying to bring some new events to people. Trying to streamline some of our processes. We are also working on possibly getting a second investigation team started so that we can cover more of these investigation requests we keep getting. We have so many investigation requests that we have to turn people away lately and that is not what we want to be doing. We have added a few new members lately, this week will be their first meeting so that is exciting. We are booked up for the next few months doing some investigations in AZ, CA, and NM. All of this is cool and exciting.

So let me know if you want me to answer any questions that you may have. You can email me at Shaun (at) wcgaps.com if you have any question for me and I will be happy to answer those.

More info to come soon. Have fun for now.

Wordcamp Phoenix

Andy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:30:32 +0000

Today I am at Phoenix word camp. This was all started by my good friend and our website developer Chuck Reynolds. It is a way for me to learn more about how to make our website work for us and more importantly how I can learn to blog better. My hope is to learn a ton here and then finish working up the new plan for our website.

Thanks.

November Break

Andy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:44:12 +0000

It’s nice to have a small break here in November with WCGAPS. We are still working on updating the website and some behind the scenes documents, but the freedom from investigations on the weekends is so relaxing. Don’t get me wrong, I love investigating paranormal activity, but the time off is regenerating. A few of us are going to podcamp in Phoenix this weekend to work on our social media skills, then off to a social gathering at one of our members’ home for a cookout.

Next month everything will begin again back in full swing. The first weekend in December, we will be investigating the Birdcage Theatre, Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, and the Silver Nugget Bed & Breakfast in Tombstone, AZ. We’ll be inviting a sister group that we trained about a year and a half ago when it formed to help out with the multiple locations. Visit their website and see what they’re all about http://www.sagaps.com Can’t wait to tell everyone about the news with the production companies we’re working with, but I guess you’ll have to wait til next time.

Halloween 2009

Andy — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:14:08 +0000

Halloween was great this year for WCGAPS. We had media coverage from four news stations and three newspapers. We finished up the long run of investigations and interviews last night with an event at the Gilbert Historic Museum. It went okay for the most part, but there are a few things that could have been done differently. The traffic was steady all night and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Their interests in the paranormal and West Coast Ghost and Paranormal Society was fascinating. So many questions and luckily we had the group there to answer. Everyone was intrigued when we let them listen to clips of paranormal activity we’ve captured over the last two years (and yes, we will have it up on the website soon).

I want to give a shout out to FOX 10 and their crew here in Phoenix and KVOA Channel 4 in Tucson! They did great pieces on us this year and working with them was without question a great experience. It was the third year of working with Bil Osher at FOX 10 and our first year working with Faye DeHoff at Channel 4. Take a look at the stories and let us all know what you think.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/only_on_fox/oof_haunted_hassayampa_103109
http://www.kvoa.com/news/ghosthunters-investigation/

So, November is going to be a relaxation time for the group, as far as investigations go. We’ll be working on and updating the website, finished backlogged reviews, and working on some new case management projects. Always work to do, but the knowledge of having four weekends free is such a relief. Then in December West Coast GAPS will be off to (wish I could tell you, but you’ll have to wait another couple of days).

I’m thinking of having a contest to have a guest investigator come with us. Not sure what kind of contest yet and it’s just an idea at this point. We don’t let the public into our scheduled investigations so it would be a great opportunity for someone. We are planning to investigate four locations over two days in a town in southern Arizona (hint). So if you have any ideas for a contest or think it’s a good idea, comment on the post. Your input would be a great asset because I still have to pitch the idea to the group for their approval.

Busy Week in the Media for West Coast GAPS

Andy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:54:21 +0000

We’ve had such a busy week with great media coverage this year. The interviews are numerous, but worth it in the end. Shaun and I have interviewed with Channel 12, ABC 15, and FOX 10 in Phoenix along with traveling to Tucson tomorrow for an interview with NBC channel 4. The East Valley Tribune did a piece that came out on Wednesday http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/146346 and the Gilbert Republic did a story that ran last Saturday http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2009/10/23/20091023gr-paranormal1024.htmlWe have another story that will run in the Arizona Republic in November, so watch for that one.

Another story that is circulating the web is about a previous client of ours who is auctioning a house we declared haunted on ebay. The auction will end on Halloween night. You can read about it here http://www.asylum.com/2009/10/29/guy-sells-haunted-house-on-ebay/http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2009/10/episode-207-mysterious-universe/

The Hassayampa Inn in Prescott, AZ was happy with the evidence we collected and declared it to have paranormal activity. The were generous enough to put a link to us on their website and has invited us to come back to investigate again in the near future. http://hassayampainn.com/news.php I would have to say that the Hassayampa Inn is FIVE STAR in their hospitality! The staff was curtious and amazing. I would recommend a stay at the hotel to anyone!

With all the video, audio, and reports that I’ve had to work on the past two weeks, I’ll be happy to kick back and relax when Sunday rolls around. We’re hoping to go back to Tombstone in early December and use November as a time to get everything caught up with the website and paperwork. Just a little teaser for everyone, we are working on an event for early next year that will have a seminar on Friday night, lunch with members from the group on Saturday afternoon, and then a ghost hunt on Saturday night. We’ll see how it goes and get up all the info as soon as we can.

Articles Overview

Andy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:16:20 +0000

This section contains articles written by members of the West Coast Ghost and Paranormal Society. Each article is information that we have discovered through research and conducting numerous investigations throughout Arizona and the West Coast. Our approach and methods are scientific in nature and so we at West Coast GAPS try to understand the science behind each paranormal event. Many paranormal groups seek out to find ghosts and hauntings while we attempt to find reasonable explanations and then whatever is unexplainable is what we consider to be paranormal in nature. Each of our investigations are considered to be a case and people are approached as clients even though we don’t charge for any investigation. Professionalism comes first and each case is taken with careful consideration that the people involved are experiencing something that is beyond their understanding. When we present evidence, we want to provide only the findings that have been reviewed and deemed unexplainable. So on our site, you won’t find pictures that are perfectly explainable due to photographic errors or EVP’s that could possibly be a chair squeaking or an investigator whispering. We do everything we can to eliminate contamination during an investigation such as constant monitoring of investigators from a central command location with all video feeds coming into the DVR system, only allowing members who have been through several training sessions to attend an investigation, mapping out our investigation areas during setup to prevent investigators from being too close to another team recording audio, and only sending out teams of two in which both investigators speak clearly and record voice samples before beginning each audio session. People may refer to us as ghost hunters, but in fact we are ghost debunkers.

I hope you enjoy the articles we have written and that they are informational. If you have an idea for an article or any questions, feel free to contact us and give us you input. Thank you and enjoy!

Two Years of Fun and Excitement with WCGAPS

Andy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:48:20 +0000

It’s been a little over two years now since I started the West Coast Ghost and Paranormal Society. We have come a long way since the beginning. I still remember holding the first meeting in a small Water & Ice store in Tempe, AZ. When I look back on it all, it makes me laugh. Training at that first meeting consisted of the only piece of equipment we had, old Sony Hi8 camcorder with nightvision. I’m proud to say that we still have some of the orginal members and some great new ones in the group. We don’t always agree, but we enjoy what we do.

I wasn’t interested in starting a group, but when looking around to find another group that shares the same philosophy and goals, I came up short. So in fall of 2007 I gave up my search and put an ad out for people who wanted to become paranormal investigators. Many people ask us if there is a difference between a paranormal investigator and a ghost hunter. The answer is yes. A ghost hunter is someone who looks for paranormal activity from a subjective point of view. WCGAPS are paranormal investigators who collect data objectively by investigating claims using scientific methods and works to disprove or debunk a claim. By eliminating the reasonable, we are either left with nothing or something that can’t be explained, thus beyond normal logic or in other words “paranormal”.

In two years we have conducted 31 fascinating investigations. For everyone who isn’t part of a paranormal group, that is quite a bit. Since we do this on our own dime and are all volunteers, this can be very time consuming. We all have a passion and love for investigating and that is what drives us. So many opportunities are coming up in the near future and it makes me proud to say that I’m a member of one of the best paranormal investigating teams in the United States. I’m looking forward to a great event at the Gilbert Historical Museum this Saturday. Halloween is one of my favorite times of year.

Busy week ahead

Andy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:26:46 +0000

Well things have been going well for the Ghost Group. We have had a few interviews and photo shoots recently and have a few more interviews and one more photo shoot this week. It is certainly interesting to get used to that attention. It is good for the group but with so much going on in my life right now, I do wish i could push some of it off for a few months.

After all the interviews and what not this week, we have a ghost hunt event at the Gilbert Historical Museum and that will be fun. I am going to miss my sons second time trick or treating and that has me sad but it should be a good night in Gilbert. I may try and convince my wife and son to come with me that night but we will see.

Well I am off to bed after a very long weekend.

Shaun

New Audio Device

Andy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:39:02 +0000

Hello. So one thing you all may not know about me is that I have always been a sound guy. My online gaming nickname is usually Hifiguy if that tells you anything. A long time ago, I used to be heavily involved in doing live sound for theater and other live events. After doing that for a while I got into HiFi audio sales and installations doing huge theater systems for people. So needless to say I have always had a thing for audio equipment.

Since i started in this group I have always pushed us to have better and better audio equipment. A while back I did a lot of reserch and determined that the zoom h2 was the best devices for us to use from a bang for the buck standpoint as well as just audio quality. Lately I have been wanting to step up our audio gear. With the addition of one of our newer members Tom, we have been using his soundboard to place microphones around during investigations and that has really been a wonderful new advantage for us in audio. With this sort of system we can quickly and easily listen to audio around the entire building or investigation area all at the same time to rule out different questionable audio clips. This has really made things so much easier. The downsides are that this device stores audio on its internal hard drive and it can only record 4 channels at a time.

Even before Tom came on board I have been looking hard for better audio equipment that we can use in this manner and for the longest time i have not been able to find anything that really fits what we need with a good price point. I had found quite a few devices but most of them were severe overkill and very expensive. Recently I found a new device that I think we are going to buy as soon as we can raise some money to do so. The device is the zoom audio R16 seen here on Amazon. It will allow us to record 8 channels at one time and can link two R16’s together so that we can record 16 channels at the same time. This is what I am wanting to do so that we can have 2 mics at each camera from our dvr system. The only issue I see is that we want to try and go to a 16 channel DVR system and when we do that I will want even more audio recording devices but That should be ok, It will just take forever to set up lol.

If anyone has any other suggestion for audio devices that you think I should look at, please let me know. The requirements for me are to record 16 channels at minimum, in a digital way so that we can review the audio inside of the computers in adobe audition or adobe sound booth (for us mac people). I don’t care about eq’s at all since i want all audio coming in as natural as possible. I would want the ability to adjust the volume and gain of the mic just to be sure I am capturing as much audio as possible. I look forward to your comments.

Shaun