Better than a Ghost App…?

Can an inexpensive hiking compass detect ghostly EMF as well – or better than a ghost app?

For years, I thought that was ridiculous.

Then, a series of tests with a sturdy $10 compass surprised me. It worked nearly as well as my regular (and far more expensive) EMF meters.

Now, in some settings, I actually prefer to use a hiking compass when I first explore a haunted site. (That’s still true in 2024, as I’m updating this article.)

And, unlike hi-tech equipment with batteries that can fail in haunted settings, the compass always works.

From my years in Scouting, I know that hiking compasses work like gravity. They’re almost 100% reliable, as long as you aren’t near something magnetic, a large electrical engine, or major power lines.

In other words, compasses react to high EMF levels… the same as EMF detectors do.

But then, when I was documenting a ghost hunt, I brought my compass to Gilson Road Cemetery in Nashua, NH.

I’d only intended to use it to get my bearings when making notes about which areas of the cemetery seemed most haunted.

When our ghost hunting team arrived, I placed the compass on top of Hannah Robbins’ headstone at the northern end of the cemetery.

Her stone appeared to be aligned in a NNE direction, looking towards the carved side of her headstone.

This was what I expected to see, so I didn’t think about it again.

And, while I was busy comparing our past orb photos with existing graves and landmarks, another team member, Alan, picked up the compass.

That’s when “north” seemed to move.

He shouted for me to take a look, and… Well, it was weird.

In the southern half of the cemetery, the compass showed north in one direction.

“Okay, fine,” I thought. “That’s exactly what it should do.”

But, as Alan walked towards the northern half of the cemetery, the needle swung about 30 degrees and stayed there.

We tested this repeatedly, and the results were consistent.

EMF levels should only increase around electrical wiring, etc.

But, at the time, Gilson Road Cemetery was a very rural location, before the subdivision was built across the street.  So, there were no nearby generators or significant power lines.

Yes, EMF surges and anomalies have been associate with ghosts and haunted places.

So, maybe it should not surprise me that my compass reacted to energy at Gilson.

Since then, we’ve used a compass on several Hollow Hill investigations. Now, we highly recommend a compass in your basic ghost hunting kit.

How to use a hiking compass in “haunted” locations

• Be certain the compass has a free-swinging needle. Test it ahead of time in a not-haunted location. If – especially with a cheap compass – the needle tends to get stuck, it’s useless.
• Before you start walking, line up North so the red part (or point) of the needle is over the arrow painted on the compass. That’s North. That’s the direction you’ll walk towards, each time. (Do this in several parts of the haunted site, to determine where the anomalies might be.)
• Learn to use the compass in a not haunted site, first. Your backyard is a good place, if there are no electrical wires nearby (underground and overhead, too).
• Try to walk in as straight a line as possible, usually towards North. (It can be the easiest to follow.)
• Expect the needle to bob and bounce as you walk. This is normal. However, when you pause, it should always return to North.
• Keep the compass as flat as possible. If you hold it an an angle, your reading may not be accurate.
• If North seems to move, pause. Check how you’re holding the compass, in case it was tilted. North NEVER changes direction!
• Debunk odd readings if you can. Look for interference from magnetic deposits (a metal detector can help) and from electrical sources, including power lines. They will “attract” the compass’ needle. (In the U.S.,  geographical survey maps may help identify areas with likely metal deposits.)
• This is worth repeating: North NEVER changes its location. Even a slight 10-degree shift is an anomaly, if you’ve eliminated all other influences. Profoundly haunted sites can show unexplained needle-swings of up to 90 degrees.
• If you think you have an anomaly, retrace your steps. See if the compass anomaly repeats. Usually, it will… but only for a while. If you still can’t find an explanation (electrical wiring, etc.), the compass may have been responding to something ghost-related.

From my experience, a compass can work at least as well – and perhaps more reliably – than a ghost app. And every team member can try it themselves, without needing to take out their phone (and possibly be distracted by it).