Ghost Communicator | Sinister Speaker Spirit Box

For years, people have been attempting to speak to the dead, utilizing everything from seances to spirit boxes. The draw to speak to those who have passed on is timeless, crossing cultures and spawning many strange inventions. 

The desire is so great that the famed inventor Thomas Edison even attempted to build such a device. This so-called spirit phone was not well-received at the time. It is undetermined if his enterprise was ever successful, and sadly, blueprints of the device have never been located, leaving it lost to time. 

Luckily, this fascinating concept would be revitalized in the early 2000s when one man invented the spirit box. His device, created from years of tinkering and pioneering, resulted in a tool widely used in ghost-hunting investigations around the globe. 

Read on to learn the history of this spectral device and how to wield it. If you’ve yet to pick up your device, consider our Sinister Speaker Spirit Box. It’s one of the best pieces of ghost-hunting equipment on the market. 

What is a Spirit Box? 

Spirit boxes are modified radios used to communicate with the spirit realm. This ghost communicator quickly scans radio frequencies, picking up words and phrases. Often used in the ghost-hunting community, the user asks a question and allows time for a response in the hope of capturing a spectral voice from the other side.

History of The Spirit Box

The spirit box, or ghost box as it is sometimes also called, is a relatively modern tool. It was first invented in 2002 by Frank Sumption, who aptly named the device Frank’s Box. What led Frank to design such a bizarre device? Frank was galvanized in 1995 upon reading about Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) in Popular Electronics magazine. 

Electronic Voice Phenomena, or EVP, are defined as unexplained voices recorded in electronic devices. Many interpret them as spirit voices, and the term first entered the public consciousness in the 1970s. 

This knowledge spurred Frank’s quest to create a device capable of communicating with spirits and energies outside our physical realm. His success, however, was not immediate. He thought his efforts might be in vain, but finally, Frank began to see success in 2000, experiencing conversations from the other side. 

Later, people would develop their own versions of Frank’s Box, often called Shack Hacks. These late-2000 devices utilized inexpensive RadioShack radios, modified by crafty individuals to work as ghost communicators. 

Spirit boxes would continue to be popularized through media, especially by being portrayed on the hit television show Ghost Adventures. After this acclaim, niche retailers began offering commercial versions of the device, spreading its reach even further.

Frank Sumption died in 2014 but remains immortalized in the paranormal community through his contribution. He never pushed for financial compensation for his creation; instead, he randomly allocated his inventions to people. In his lifetime, it is believed he only ever made 180 such machines.  

Luckily, spirit boxes are much more widely available today, equipping a new generation of ghost hunters and spectral enthusiasts with this alluring tool. 

Presence in Popular Culture

Zak Bagans may have been the first to popularize this device on Ghost Adventures, but many other paranormal investigators have also utilized it. Various incarnations of the spirit box have been seen on Ghost Hunters, Paranormal Lockdown, The Dead Files, Kindred Spirits, and Buzzfeed’s Unsolved.

These devices have become so popular in modern times that they’ve even entered video game culture. The horror game Phasmophobia, where players work to identify ghosts in different locations, uses a variety of investigative tools, including the ghost box.

 In this game, users can use the spirit box tool to ask questions via their mic, yet it only responds to certain questions. 

Unsure of what to ask your spirit box? You can take inspiration from some of the accepted phasmophobia spirit box questions, such as these: 

• Why are you here?
• What is your gender?
• What is your location?
• What is your name?
• What do you want?

How Do Spirit Boxes Work?

Like their predecessors from the early 2000, spirit boxes are essentially altered radios. They possess a customization that allows them to quickly scan various radio stations simultaneously. Unlike a standard radio that fixes to one station, a spirit box scans multiple stations nonstop.

These ghostly apparatuses sweep the radio waves in a constant scan, picking up what many believe to be the voices of the dead. AM and FM stations are scanned repeatedly without stopping on a single frequency. The device will pause on a station to pick up voices and sounds, often capturing phrases or specific words.

Unlike a radio, these devices can record or save the electronic voice phenomena they capture so that they can be further examined later. Many boxes also allow you to speed up or slow down the scanning process to tailor it to your preferred setting. 

How To Use a Spirit Box

To use a spirit box, you’ll first need to find a location where you believe there is some form of ghost activity. Ghost boxes only work in the presence of ghosts, after all.

Next, power on your device and allow it to begin the scanning process. Most tend to stick to FM stations, but you can also set it to scan AM stations. Some seeking communication with spirits also like to begin by setting an intention, such as only wishing to speak with benevolent energies. 

Now, it’s time to begin asking questions. The wonderful thing about these ghost communicators is that they can respond to open-ended queries. To get the most information, steer clear of yes or no questions. 

You can begin your session any way you like, although most begin with some introductory questions. These might include asking if any spirits are present and their names, followed up with requests for details about their lives, historical periods, and personal experiences. 

After asking a question, be sure to allow time for the entity to respond. If desired, you can also set the device to record so you can play back your conversation later. 

Once finished with your session, thank the spirit for their time. Think of communicating through a spirit box, like talking on the phone — it’s considered rude to hang up without saying goodbye. 

It’s also a good idea to tell the spirits they are not welcome to attach themselves to you. You don’t want any spectral energies following you home. 

Tips For Selecting A Spirit Box

You know their history, how they work, and how to operate one. Now, all you need is your own gadget to begin probing the spirit realm. Yet, it’s good to be informed about what capabilities you might need. When in the market for an EVP spirit box, there are a few elements you want to look for. These include:

• Portability: You’ll likely be transporting this device to many locations, so it’s important to make sure it’s small enough to carry.
• Backlit Display: If you plan on conducting your sessions after dark, you’ll need a device with a backlit display so you can see the screen in the shadowiest locations. 
• Recording Capabilities: Although it’s exciting to receive any response via your EVP device, it’s even more intriguing to capture it. Look for a device that can record your sessions so you can share your findings with the world. 
• A Design You Feel Drawn To: If you feel attracted to a certain design, go with your intuition and purchase that model. You never know what otherworldly forces may subtly be guiding you.

Searching for some of the best ghost-hunting equipment out there? Our Sinister Speaker Spirit Box has all of these features and a few more. You can find it and more available in our sinister novelties collection and field-tested ghost-hunting equipment. 

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Sources:

• https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/dial-a-ghost-on-thomas-edisons-least-successful-invention-the-spirit-phone
• https://www.buriedsecretspodcast.com/spirit-boxes-and-paranormal-nostalgia/ 
• https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21922834 
• https://www.scottish-paranormal.co.uk/post/frank-s-box-exploring-the-legacy-and-philosophy-of-itc-pioneer-frank-sumption
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/inventor-of-franks-box-gh_b_5689238 
• https://screenrant.com/phasmophobia-spirit-box-oujia-board-questions-answer/ 
• https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/48494450/what-is-the-spirit-box-the-basics 
• https://www.hauntscout.com/articles/ghost-box-sessions-good-questions-to-ask-spirits/