K-II (K2) Meter, The Whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth
Ghost/Paranormal
Friday 3rd, November 2023
If you go on any paranormal investigation there is a very high probability that the team has a K-2 meter in their arsenal of gadgets or if they don't someone on the team will have used one at some stage during their time as a paranormal investigator.
Adding to our articles on ghost hunting/investigating equipment or paranormal gear we wanted to look at one of the most common devices used globally by paranormal investigation teams and get to the raw truth as to what it's actually doing and telling us.
This time we're looking at the K-2 meter which is a small little box, usually grey or black in colour that has five lights on it from left to right it has green, green, yellow, orange and red indicator lights. The K2 is also known as the "Safe Range EMF", it is a simple, single-axis electromagnetic field meter.
Let's first understand what EMF or an EMF reader is and what it's intended purpose is.
EMF stands for Electromagnetic Field, EMFs are categorised as natural and man-made.
Natural EMFs
Natural EMF radiation comes from dirt, trees, rocks and light from the moon and sun. Your brain, heart, mitochondria, and liver enzymes are all electric too. Since humans have evolved with radiation from the earth, natural EMFs work in harmony with our biological rhythms.
Man-Made EMFs
Man-made EMF sources include computers, mobile/cell phones, wi-fi routers, MRIs, man-made UV light, microwaves and all other kitchen appliances.
Artificial radiation falls into 2 sub categories, low frequency and high frequency. Even with a name like low frequency it can be very misleading, chronic low frequency exposure is just as harmful as high frequency.
Low levels of man-made EMFs are non-ionizing (they don't carry enough energy to completely break a molecular bond but have a chronic effect) these include EMFs from microwaves, smart meters, computers, WiFi, Bluetooth, cellphones, MRIs and power lines.
High frequency EMFs have frequencies higher than visible light making them ionizing. These include visible light, gamma rays, and X-rays.
Now that we have a basic understanding of what EMFs are it's clear that there are a huge array of devices and natural phenomena that can set off an EMF meter so at a first point if you don't understand Electromagnetic fields then this is the first issue with using an EMF reader and understanding the readings you are getting.
It's very important to note that overexposure to man-made EMFs can create health issues for an individual, below are a list of just some of the adverse side affects that can be caused.
The next thing an individual has to understand about the K2 is that, most EMF readers will have a predefined operating frequency which is preset when it is calibrated by the manufacturer, for the K2 meter the operating frequency which is set by the manufacture is stated to be 50Hz & 60Hz.
Anything outside of these frequency ranges shouldn't be detected, I say shouldn't because unless you have the EMF reader calibrated regularly you will start to get unreliable readings with any EMF reader due to the device's preset frequencies straying from the originally calibrated frequency range, it's not a ghost, just poor equipment maintenance.
If we look at one of the online stores that sell primarily to paranormal investigators, we can see how they describe the K2 meter they sell,
Key take away from this description is, 'detect and measure any potential electromagnetic anomalies', 'EMFs are thought to be effected by potential energy produced by spirits, ghosts, and other paranormal phenomena' and 'EMF Meters are a type of ghost hunting equipment that can maximize the data that you collect'.
All these points show that even the companies selling the equipment don't state that the K2 will detect a spirit but it will show any changes in the EMF range that the K2 is calibrated to read and allows the collection of data, also a reference is made to, 'thought', it doesn't include any confirmation that the company believes the K2 is affected by paranormal energies.
A very well written and researched article (linked below and a recommended read) on the K2 by Kenny Biddle on the James Randi Educational Foundation website, mentions a very important quote in relation the K2 that Biddle found on the GhostMart website,
This further adds doubt to the accuracy of the K2 and it's ability to give good readings or indications in any use case let alone for paranormal investigators.
But with the inconstant readings and fluctuations being seen it could be leveraged by paranormal investigators to support their own claims as supporting evidence to some other event.
Another interesting find from Biddle's research was around the power switch,
Just taking Biddle's research on the K2 would suggest the K2 is not a good tool to use for a paranormal investigation, the chance of a false positive or inaccurate reading are very high. A higher end EMF reader should be used in it's place, with the user understanding the abilities of the said EMF reader, its limitations and calibrated range etc.
The K2 is presented as a useful tool in the paranormal community, if not to just log and capture EMF changes in the calibrated range of the device for baselines.
The issue is that the K2 is a double edged sword, and only the person using the K2 device in any particular moment can make the decision as to how to use the inconsistent and unreliable data they're presented with.
Adding to our articles on ghost hunting/investigating equipment or paranormal gear we wanted to look at one of the most common devices used globally by paranormal investigation teams and get to the raw truth as to what it's actually doing and telling us.
This time we're looking at the K-2 meter which is a small little box, usually grey or black in colour that has five lights on it from left to right it has green, green, yellow, orange and red indicator lights. The K2 is also known as the "Safe Range EMF", it is a simple, single-axis electromagnetic field meter.
Let's first understand what EMF or an EMF reader is and what it's intended purpose is.
EMF stands for Electromagnetic Field, EMFs are categorised as natural and man-made.
Natural EMFs
Natural EMF radiation comes from dirt, trees, rocks and light from the moon and sun. Your brain, heart, mitochondria, and liver enzymes are all electric too. Since humans have evolved with radiation from the earth, natural EMFs work in harmony with our biological rhythms.
Man-Made EMFs
Man-made EMF sources include computers, mobile/cell phones, wi-fi routers, MRIs, man-made UV light, microwaves and all other kitchen appliances.
Artificial radiation falls into 2 sub categories, low frequency and high frequency. Even with a name like low frequency it can be very misleading, chronic low frequency exposure is just as harmful as high frequency.
Low levels of man-made EMFs are non-ionizing (they don't carry enough energy to completely break a molecular bond but have a chronic effect) these include EMFs from microwaves, smart meters, computers, WiFi, Bluetooth, cellphones, MRIs and power lines.
High frequency EMFs have frequencies higher than visible light making them ionizing. These include visible light, gamma rays, and X-rays.
Now that we have a basic understanding of what EMFs are it's clear that there are a huge array of devices and natural phenomena that can set off an EMF meter so at a first point if you don't understand Electromagnetic fields then this is the first issue with using an EMF reader and understanding the readings you are getting.
It's very important to note that overexposure to man-made EMFs can create health issues for an individual, below are a list of just some of the adverse side affects that can be caused.
- Anxiety/depression
- Headaches
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Fatigue
- Vertigo/Nausea
- Heart Arrhythmia/Palpitations
- Inflammation
The next thing an individual has to understand about the K2 is that, most EMF readers will have a predefined operating frequency which is preset when it is calibrated by the manufacturer, for the K2 meter the operating frequency which is set by the manufacture is stated to be 50Hz & 60Hz.
Anything outside of these frequency ranges shouldn't be detected, I say shouldn't because unless you have the EMF reader calibrated regularly you will start to get unreliable readings with any EMF reader due to the device's preset frequencies straying from the originally calibrated frequency range, it's not a ghost, just poor equipment maintenance.
If we look at one of the online stores that sell primarily to paranormal investigators, we can see how they describe the K2 meter they sell,
The K2 meter is an electromagnetic field meter. These devices are used to detect and measure any potential electromagnetic anomalies that may take place during a paranormal investigation.
EMFs are thought to be effected by potential energy produced by spirits, ghosts, and other paranormal phenomena. Moreover, it’s believed that communication attempts require energy output that can be picked up by various ghost hunting tools.
Just as EVP Recorders empower you to capture those possible communications, EMF Meters are a type of ghost hunting equipment that can maximize the data that you collect. Many people use K2 meters, specifically, because of their functionality, simplicity, and utility.
Key take away from this description is, 'detect and measure any potential electromagnetic anomalies', 'EMFs are thought to be effected by potential energy produced by spirits, ghosts, and other paranormal phenomena' and 'EMF Meters are a type of ghost hunting equipment that can maximize the data that you collect'.
All these points show that even the companies selling the equipment don't state that the K2 will detect a spirit but it will show any changes in the EMF range that the K2 is calibrated to read and allows the collection of data, also a reference is made to, 'thought', it doesn't include any confirmation that the company believes the K2 is affected by paranormal energies.
A very well written and researched article (linked below and a recommended read) on the K2 by Kenny Biddle on the James Randi Educational Foundation website, mentions a very important quote in relation the K2 that Biddle found on the GhostMart website,
"When used side by side with these high end digital models one thing became very clear. The readings produced by the K-II were simply not consistent. It was in fact very responsive to EMF fluctuations but there was no pattern to the level of the EMF measured by the K-II Meter."
This further adds doubt to the accuracy of the K2 and it's ability to give good readings or indications in any use case let alone for paranormal investigators.
But with the inconstant readings and fluctuations being seen it could be leveraged by paranormal investigators to support their own claims as supporting evidence to some other event.
Another interesting find from Biddle's research was around the power switch,
The first concern is the power switch. With a little practice, it was very simple to locate the "sweet" spot where the button will go between on/off without the operator seeing or hearing the entire switch come to the "at rest" position (power off). Because the device’s self-test causes all five LEDs to light up twice, and when power is interrupted the first LED will go out… we can look back at the early use of the device on popular TV shows and see that it was most likely related to this cause, rather than any "spirit communication".
Just taking Biddle's research on the K2 would suggest the K2 is not a good tool to use for a paranormal investigation, the chance of a false positive or inaccurate reading are very high. A higher end EMF reader should be used in it's place, with the user understanding the abilities of the said EMF reader, its limitations and calibrated range etc.
The K2 is presented as a useful tool in the paranormal community, if not to just log and capture EMF changes in the calibrated range of the device for baselines.
The issue is that the K2 is a double edged sword, and only the person using the K2 device in any particular moment can make the decision as to how to use the inconsistent and unreliable data they're presented with.
