The custom-made Spirit Boxes used in shows such as Portals of Hell and Ghost Adventures can be upwards of $1,200. I had sticker shock when I looked them up, let me tell you! However, while the super customized, retro radios look cool, those boxes aren’t necessary in a spirit box. In fact, the top of the line one is just a basic, boring radio.
Don’t worry, though. We do have a retro box option, for those that prefer that look. These range from low cost to mid-cost, but none are anywhere near the cost of the custom ones from the shows.
First up, the top of the line one. This is an SB7, and it scans available frequencies to pick up white noise to provide a backdrop for spirit voices to come through. With adjustable speed and direction, dual-station scanning, noise reduction, and temperature alerts, this tool offers a lot of oomph in a small package. It also includes a backlight for easy visibility. The only thing it doesn’t have is an included recorder, so you’ll want to keep an EVP recorder beside it to capture your sessions.
Next up, the SBOX. This one is “next in line” after the SB7. This has a lot of the same features, but requires an SD card, since it comes with the addition of the EVP recorder built-in. For this reason, when we’re ready for a physical SpiritBox instead of an app, this one might be one of our top choices.
The Budget Ghost Box functions the same as the others, they’re really operating on the same basic wavelength here… scan radio stations, produce white noise, allow spirit voices through. This one has no frills, it’s simply an AM/FM radio that has been tweaked to continuously scan through the stations. There’s no backlight, no EVP recorder, just the basic radio, which is all you really need.
For those that want the retro style, another company offers their Retro Radio. These are created upon ordering, much like the custom-made boxes. While they have the cool factor in looks, they’re still really just basic… no backlight or EVP recorder. We have purchased one from this company, it works great. (And looks really cool!) We’ll also probably eventually purchase an SBOX or SB7 so we’ll have both options.