Today I’m welcoming Gary Galka. He’s a paranormal researcher and inventor of some impressive devices that are used by paranormal enthusiasts and investigators worldwide. Gary is the owner of DAS, and has investigated and worked alongside Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin of Ghost Adventures.Thank you, Gary for stopping by!

 

Sheila ~ Can you tell us a little about your background and how you got started with the paranormal?

Gary ~ I grew up as a middle child surrounded by two sisters in a small rural town in central Connecticut. By all standards, we were the traditional and typical blue collar family. My Mom was the curriculum manager for the town school system and my Dad worked construction. They each worked 50-60hrs. / Week to support and provide the basic and essential needs for our family. I have acquired a broad range of experience working with automation & control and process measurement in industrial and commercial applications. My company (DAS) has been developing, and working with automation equipment, test & measurement instrumentation (including EMF meters) in the industrial, commercial and Industrial market place for over 30yrs. It’s wasn’t until 2006-2008 that I started creating devices exclusively for Paranormal applications. Looking back through my childhood, I had a few interesting and unexplained experiences growing up. But, in all honesty I always believed that there was a logical & rational explanation for everything that happened in my life. There really wasn’t a reason for me to be interested in Ghosts, Spirits or any other type of unexplained phenomenon. The word Paranormal wasn’t part of my vocabulary until much later in my life. At the age of 36, something did happen that I would consider “unexplainable”. I was in the middle of building a new house that was remotely located on the Metacomet trail mountain ridge in West Suffield, CT. After the delivery of appliances, I had decided to stay and spend the night in the house until the home was completely secured with doors, etc. I slept fine through the night, and woke up at 6am. It was a clear fall morning. I opened my eyes hearing a very clear conversation between two men. Thinking they were construction workers that arrived an hour early, I got out of bed, got dressed and walked to the foyer where I could still hear them talking in the kitchen. It sounded like they were having a casual chat over coffee. The strange part was that I could not discern the subject matter from the conversation. When I asked “why are you guys here so early” the kitchen area suddenly became perfectly silent, no one answered me. I then peered into the kitchen, and it was empty. I had just heard a conversation for 2-3 minutes. And despite everything that just happened to me, I still shrugged it off and tried to rationalize it as “me” not being completely awake.  

 

Sheila ~ What prompted you to invent paranormal investigative equipment? 

Gary ~ In 2004 our daughter Melissa was involved in an automobile accident. And after four days on life support, she transitioned to Spirit. Our family began to experience numerous After Death Communications (ADC’s) from Mel which started the moment we returned back from the hospital. The ADC’s and other experiences have continued on to this very day. In 2005 I began forming support groups & meetings in the evenings for bereaved parents at my business. And while I would like to believe that these group meetings helped us to heal in some small way, I really felt the need to reach out to help others who were not as fortunate to receive messages from their loved ones. The idea to create the Mel Meter came after watching a few “Paranormal” television shows in which people were utilizing improvised and / or modified instruments and devices for their investigations. It was then that I realized that I might be able to validate some of my own personal experiences using some of the very same technology that I had been using in commercial and industrial applications. A $$ percentage of everything we sell goes to bereavement support groups. We have also donated over 400 Mel meters and other devices to paranormal organizations over the last several years.

 
Sheila ~ What was the first device that you invented and was it as successful as you wanted it to be?

Gary ~ Growing up, I was always coming up with gadgets and ideas that were “fun” things. When I was 9, I can remember building an EMF generator from a motor that I took out of one of my electronic toys. I used to frustrate the heck out of my Dad by scrambling our black and white television picture from the safety of my bedroom. He never caught on to my mischief. My very first idea was a tooth brush with a toothpaste reservoir built into the handle. I think I was 11 or 12 years old when I built an actual working prototype. It was simple, just squeeze the handle and toothpaste would ooze from some drilled holes in the bristles. In the 70’s, my friends and I would play football with a Frisbee flying disk for hours. As dusk and darkness approached it became hard to see. So I created a clip on LED that would create a bead of light around the rim as it flew. The LED light switch was activated through the centrifugal Force created from the spinning action of the disk. Later on when I started DAS, I designed and built consumer electronic temperature devices that would monitor the temperature of your freezer and refrigerator. Inductive, Ultrasonic and PIR wireless security devices to monitor automobiles parking and entering / exiting your driveway. These devices were sold through gift catalogs long before internet e-commerce came about.

Sheila ~ Where did you get your education to learn how to create such inventions?

Gary ~ Went to College and earned my degree in Electronics & Electrical Engineering. I then worked for Weston Electrical Instruments. Dr. Weston’s innovations included the Weston standard cell, the first accurate portable voltmeters and ammeters, the first portable light meter, and many other electrical developments. From there I worked for Analogic Corp. Analogic specialized in Medical Imaging, Ultrasound and process measurement. I learned all of my expertise working with Temperature, Strain Gauges, Pressure Transducers, Accelerometers and other process measurement & transducers from these two companies prior to starting DAS in 1982. It just seemed logical to take everything I learned over the years and redirected it toward my new found interest in the paranormal.

 
Sheila ~  While doing an investigation, do you also approach it with a skeptical point of view?

Gary ~ To be honest, I have not done an investigation in several years. I like to pride myself in thinking that I take a rational and logical approach with everything that I do. Sometimes I go as far as visualizing multiple logical scenarios with respect to the outcome of an event before it happens. I also have a tendency to over analyze situations. I am not a skeptic as it pertains to the afterlife. I KNOW with 100% certainty that there is an afterlife that is completely separated and secured from our plane of existence. I have seen it. There are also many influencial “things” (Good & Bad) happening around us that we can’t see or hear. I can say this with confidence because of the many profound personal experiences that I have had.

Sheila ~ What was the most intense paranormal investigation that you’ve ever done?

Gary ~ I would say that it was Probably Sloss Furnace in Alabama. I would consider it intense only because it was my very first opportunity to experience something in a more unpredictable, and unfamiliar environment.
I remember pushing myself well outside of my comfort zone in order to invoke some type of personal experience. And toward the end of the long evening, I did have my first unexplained experience. It started with a cold chill that envelope me, and then I felt a very gentle hand stroke from the top of my head and down my cheek two or three times. I had no idea who it was, but I do believe that they were aware of my reason and circumstances, for being there. And, in many ways, I believe that there was an empathetic connection that they were attracted and responding to.

 

Sheila ~ What was it like working with Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin and Nick Groff of Ghost Adventures?

Gary ~ I’ve had the pleasure of working with Zak, Nick and Aaron on three separate occasions for GA. I was also invited to participate in a Paranormal Challenge episode as a judge. From my own personal observation, their personalities blend really well together, which I believe is a big part of the show’s popularity and success. They are sincere and dedicated in what they do. When I was working with them, the guys and staff were very attentive to make sure that my needs were attended to, and that I had a good time. The evidence, events and experiences that occurred while working with them were accurately portrayed on television. I was always under the impression that there would be a bunch of production people around when they were doing an investigation, but, there are no outside interruptions, influences or interferences from production people on site. In fact, there were none on the premises. The filming of our family episode was done with respect and sensitivity, and the show was accurately portrayed in every respect from beginning to end.

 
Sheila ~  Aside from the MEL Meter, what other devices have you invented and are you currently working on any new projects?

Gary ~ The Mel Meter was the first multipurpose test and measurement device which measured EMF, Temperature with built-in flashlight. I then created the Mel meter with REM field which proved to be very successful. We now have 19 different Mel meter models all of which are distinctly different and designed to suit paranormal enthusiast’s individual needs. I like to equate the different Mel meter models to a Golf bag full of clubs. There is a time and place for each meter, it just depends on the location, circumstances surrounding the application and the users comfort level with the device.
After the Mel meter, I developed the RT-EVP with built in Spirit Box. The RT-EVP is the world’s first Real Time digital Recorder ITC device. It can Record, and Play your recorded file simultaneously. This allowed the user to hear a recorded EVP instantaneously. It also has a built-in Spirit box with microphone input. The P-SB7 and P-SB11 Spirit Box’s were also created as ITC devices. In all, over 30 devices dedicated for paranormal use including REM-Pods, Vibe-Pods and others have been developed. My next project is called the “Thermal Interceptor” this device will change the way we acquire analyze and validate thermal temperature variations within an environment during an investigation.

 

Sheila ~ What’s your favorite part about investigating the paranormal?

Gary ~ Meeting and working with different people, and testing new devices. Sensing and feeling things that exceed well beyond our physical comprehension.

 
Sheila ~ Any advice for those who’d like to follow in your footsteps?

Gary ~ Always strive for your personal best in whatever you decide to do in life. As far as the paranormal goes, I’ve learned that there are many irrational and illogical variables that we’ll never truly understand…at least not in our lifetime. So, always proceed with caution when pursuing and using ITC, and other research communication devices. And, never allow yourself or your friends to become consumed or addicted to ITC research or investigative activities.

 

Follow Gary Galka on Twitter @GaryGalka