EVP Newsletter - No 14 - 1979

Magazine Overview

Title: EVP NEWS
Issue: No 14
Date: March 1979
Focus: Dedicated to the study of the Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP).

Chronological History of EVP Research

The issue begins with a chronological list of key events in EVP history, aiming to clarify confusion over dates. This list covers significant milestones from 1957 to 1974:

• 1957 Spring: First attempts by entities to contact Jurgenson.
• 1959 Summer: First voice recorded by Jurgenson in Nysund, Sweden.
• 1964 Autumn: "Voices from Space" published by Jurgenson.
• 1965 April: Raudive visits Jurgenson.
• 1968: "Breakthrough" published in Germany.
• 1969 Dec 12: Raudive's first visit to England.
• 1969 Dec 13: Experiment with Raudive, Peter Bander, and Right Reverend Monsignor O'Connor.
• 1971 Mar 22: Raudive's second visit to England.
• 1971 Mar 24: Raudive experiments at publishers in Gerrards Cross with Sir Robert Mayer, Mr Bearman, and David Stanley.
• 1971 Mar 26: David Ellis takes Raudive to recording studios at Belling and Lee, Enfield. Peter Bander's book "Carry on Talking" suggests the date was March 27th, a detail the editor is checking.
• 1971 Mar 29: "Breakthrough" published.
• 1974 Sep 2: Raudive dies.

The editor, Alan Cleaver, hopes this list clarifies confusion and offers to provide updates on the March 26th date.

Visit to Richard Sheargold by Alan Cleaver

This section details a visit by Alan Cleaver to researcher Richard Sheargold in Berkshire. Sheargold, who spent his career in the radio industry and held an amateur transmitting licence for over 40 years, also had a 25-year membership in The Society for Psychical Research. He approached EVP with a skeptical mind, accustomed to the illusions produced by ham radio.

Sheargold developed a method to obtain voices continually, which he described as being "on tap." He found that any waveband could produce results, but he often used shortwave due to his familiarity. He realized that the key factor was not a specific waveband but the presence of background noise. His method involved recording "radio mush" taken at random, and then re-recording this with a microphone, asking entities to speak. Upon playback, voices were heard answering his questions. This technique, termed the "radio/mic method," used pre-recorded radio mush instead of live radio.

Two conclusions were drawn from these experiments:

1. EVP works through the metamorphosis of existing radio signals.
2. It is concerned with audio frequency modulation, not radio waves.

Cleaver suggests that any noise could be modulated into a voice, regardless of whether it originated from radio waves.

Sheargold also experimented with getting voices of living people, which succeeded. While voice print analysis couldn't definitively prove they were from the living, the remarks made by "the living" were similar to those made by the dead. Sheargold's theory is that the agent for metamorphosing the audio sound lies within the researcher, not from an external source.

He demonstrated his ability to summon specific voices, including a gruff voice that called out "Alan" for Cleaver's arrival. This experience swayed Cleaver towards the subconscious mind theory, which he still believes plays a significant role, especially in Sheargold's recordings.

Cleaver spent almost 12 hours talking with Sheargold and his wife, thanking them for their hospitality.

Notes on Paranormal Voices (EVP) - The Microphone Method

This section, continuing the work of Michael Vinter, discusses the microphone method for EVP.

• Open Microphone: Using an open microphone in a completely silent room is generally the least successful method for newcomers. Success is more likely when there is a modicum of background noise.
• Microphone Selectivity: Unlike the human ear, which is highly selective and tunes out irrelevant sounds, a microphone picks up everything, including clothing rustles, chair creaks, and even intra-body noises. This raw sound material is used for the remodulation process.
• Transforming Chamber: The hum of a motor and the sounding-board effect of casing can create a "transforming chamber" for the work.
• Subjectivity Warning: The author warns against subjectivity, suggesting that it's possible to fit phrases to rhythmic sounds like train wheels. He posits that consciously evolving these phrases might activate a psychokinetic process, even without a tape recorder.
• Expression Transformation: Tummy rumbles can be transformed into human patterns of expression. While not entirely subjective, as some suggested, it's dangerous to interpret every creak as a message from deceased relatives.
• RIF/DIODE Method: Paranormal speech from this method often sounds more natural, resulting from natural speech remodulated from adjacent stations. These voices can be "mushy" and bear similarities to microphone phenomena. Spontaneous breakthroughs from adjacent channels can occur, sometimes distorting the announcer's voice into sentences out of context (Copyist effect), or inserting tiny paranormal voices into pauses.
• Inducing Results: To achieve the best results, one must provide "modulating entities" with raw material, such as a mixture of speech-noise and distant music, which can lead to remarkable "constructs" where voices are fashioned out of chords.
• How to Induce: The recommendation is to use a microphone and a recorder with mixing facilities. This has a psychological effect, making one's voice heard by the entities. Occasionally, one's own announcement can be remodulated into phrases that sound like oneself, but in an altered form.

Induction Technique Details

The technique involves tuning to a frequency where stations are just audible, turning the volume control to full, and then asking questions or making statements. The experimenter should listen for something emerging from the background babble. If a natural broadcast voice is heard, it should be responded to. If nothing seems to happen, the experimenter should quickly move to another frequency or wavelength. Speed is a significant factor, and the phenomenon is reported to be developing more markedly with each experiment.

Interview: Friedrich Jurgenson and Esotera Magazine

This section features an interview with Friedrich Jurgenson, the discoverer of EVP, translated from German by Hans J Hackmann.

• Technical Aspects: Jurgenson discusses an interesting aspect related to voice recordings. He mentions a lady in South Sweden who achieved excellent voice recordings. Both had Uher tape recorders connected in parallel to the same radio. While her tape only captured crackling noise, Jurgenson's tape had voices. He realized that a "radar" was aimed at the tape recorder, not the radio. At one meter from his recorder, only crackling noise was heard, but his tape contained the voice saying, "Friedel this is exciting, we are on the right track."
• Lack of Technical Interference: Jurgenson states he is not an amateur in technical matters, which he sees as fortunate. He believes the "dead" can work without his interference. If he had strong technical ambitions and constantly experimented, he might disrupt their work. He feels that by not disturbing them, they accomplish more, emphasizing the need for patience.
• Reverberation Phenomenon: A significant phenomenon is that voices, though inaudible at the moment of recording, are clearly heard on playback with an echo, sounding as if spoken in a reverberant room. This can occur under two conditions: when using the microphone method and when voices are recorded via radio or "carrier wave" under certain conditions, involving a "communication centre" that creates a pronounced, long reverberation.
• Natural vs. Electronic Reverberation: Jurgenson describes the sound as natural reverberation, distinct from the echo-like sound of electronic reverberation created on a tape recorder. He has recorded this many times and wishes it to be examined.
• Scientific Involvement: Jurgenson estimates that more than 19 scientists are currently working in the field of voice research, and the phenomenon is now well-known and cannot be ignored.

Other Resources and Publications

The issue concludes by listing other relevant publications and books:

• Strange Phenomena: A new format of The Fortean Times, covering UFOs, falls of objects, obsessions, earthquakes, and comets. Available via subscription.
• The Mediumship of the Tape Recorder by David Ellis: A book detailing EVP, the author's work with Raudive, possible voices from UFOs, and mediums. It covers the early years of EVP in Britain.
• EVP NEWSLETTER: Published monthly by Alan Cleaver, with subscription details for UK and overseas.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the historical development of Electronic Voice Phenomenon research, the technical methods employed by various researchers, and the ongoing debate about the nature and origin of the voices. The editorial stance is one of diligent documentation and clarification of historical data, encouraging further research and open-minded investigation into the phenomenon. The publication aims to provide a platform for sharing information and experiences within the EVP community.