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million

1. How do you propose to find them? If you're using any commonly available devices, then it is not a paranormal feat and will not be accepted.

2. Under what circumstances?

3. How many times out of a number of trials do you expect to succeed? It needs to be much better than chance would allow for.
 
i will find underground power lines by using 2 long stem peices of grass. I will hold 1 stem in each hand when they cross is where i will mark under ground power lines. would be great to do the it in june/july.
 
also it must be calm outside, not to much wind. It should be 90 percent acurate ,give or take a percent. ... and the ground should not be to dry.
 
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I can find buried utilities & drains. The only requirement is that I be digging and I not be looking for them. My power is most effective late in the day or on weekends.
 
Welcome, mosterfarmer.

A couple of things you probably need to know:

1) none of us on this board are associated with the JREF in any official capacity - we're usually pretty happy to discuss claims, protocols, and say how we think you might be mistaken, but if you want to officially apply, you need to send in a proper application as per the links that GzuzKryzt posted above.

2) There have been lots of dowsing applicants before. None have won, and most have gone away extremely surprised. This is generally because they've never tested themselves properly in a manner similar to JREF test conditions, to rule out semiconscious knowledge, cues from an observer, or luck and chance. If you want to save yourself some time and bother, test yourself properly first.
 
First, my default "new person interested in the challenge" advice. It is based only on my own observations on what problems applicants seem to run into:

http://www.randi.org/research/index.html

1. Read and understand the challenge rules linked from that page before doing anything. This is actually the only step JREF requires before you apply (though note there are many steps to the application process after that). I note though that it may save you time, frustration, and resources if you look at my other suggestions listed below before applying.

2. Read the FAQs linked from the page I listed above. It will give you a better understanding of the entire process. If some part of the process is still unclear, people here may be able to help clarify things.

3. Attempt to form a simple test protocol for yourself to test whether you can consistently reproduce results. People here can be of assistance with that.

4. Locate people willing to give a few moments of their time that you feel can objectively judge if you are able to demonstrate your claim. Some people are uncomfortable revealing their belief in the paranormal out of fear of the reaction. Assuming you have completed suggestion 3, a good approach is probably to simply say that you've been experimenting with something and have surprising results. Then ask if they'd be willing to examine it with you to determine if they see what you see.

5. Read some of the challenge applications linked from the above page. That link isn't working right now since the server change, but will probably be fixed by the time you get to this step. Otherwise, folks here can help you find it pretty quick. Try looking at what problems other applicants have had to anticipate any you may run into yourself.

6. Create a brief statement of what ability it is you are going to demonstrate, and design a robust test protocol for you to demonstrate for the challenge. Such a protocol needs to be double-blind. You need not describe how you think your ability works, just the statement of what it is and how you will demonstrate it. Also, consider how less-honest persons might attempt to fake a display of this power and look for controls that will prove you are not using such means. Again, people here can help with this step if you ask, including understanding what it means for a test to be double-blind.

7. I would suggest you perform one or more of these double-blind tests so that you can be confident in their success when it comes time to take the preliminary test. If you were to fail the preliminary test due to unforeseen issues, it would prevent you from retesting for an entire year at least.

8. After all of the previous steps are complete, it is time to officially apply for the challenge. After you have applied, Kramer will contact you to continue the application process.

Note that failure at any given step should make you pause to consider why. It indicates a problem you may encounter later in the application process that would be easier to fix now than after you have begun the process.

Finally, JREF prefers to simplify protocols. Would you be able to simply identify if a visible, indoor powerline carried an electric current or not? If so, then a good suggestion for a protocol is to identify whether or not such a line is 'on' or 'off' for a number of trials, say 10, and that you'll be accurate for 90%.

If your power doesn't identify current, but instead the metal (or whatever) in the line itself, then perhaps haveing a number of long boxes would do. One of the boxes would contain a power line, and your job would then be to identify which one.

Either of these would make things easier, as they could be conducted indoors and wouldn't require digging for confirmation.
 
monsterfarmer said:
i want to go for the 1 million dollars... by finding underground electric power lines
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-How high does the voltage have to be?

-Does the voltage need to be flowing, as in actually powering a load, or can the lines merely be energized?

-How deep/shallow should the lines be buried?

-Besides dry ground, what other confounding factors might negate or interfere with your abilities?
 
Nucular said:
There have been lots of dowsing applicants before. None have won, and most have gone away extremely surprised. This is generally because they've never tested themselves properly in a manner similar to JREF test conditions, to rule out semiconscious knowledge, cues from an observer, or luck and chance. If you want to save yourself some time and bother, test yourself properly first.
Click to expand...

Nucular - Don't forget confirmation bias and wishful thinking.

monsterfarmer - You might want to familiarize yourself with (in addition to the two above) as many "logical fallacies" as possible. In a nutshell, these are errors we all make in our thinking that can cause us to, for example, see correlations where none exist. A few links:
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/l/lo/logical_fallacy.htm
http://skepdic.com/refuge/ctlessons/lesson5.html
 
I see a problem: It is possible to research in advance the location of underground power lines.
 
this will be a simple test . When i walk around and the grass stems ,that are being held loosely in my hands , cross i will leave a marker. The lines i found before were no more than 3 ft deep. I never tryed to find any ones that were deeper. The lines were energized. I am not sure if they were powering something like an electric motor or lights. I dont think i could do this test indoors. there would be to many electric power lines inside a building . ty all for your posts and i will read the links you posted
 
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monsterfarmer said:
this will be a simple test . When i walk around and the grass stems ,that are being held loosely in my hands , cross i will leave a marker. The lines i found before were no more than 3 ft deep. I never tryed to find any ones that were deeper. The lines were energized. I am not sure if they were powering something like an electric motor or lights. I dont think i could do this test indoors. there would be to many electric power lines inside a building . ty all for your posts and i will read the links you posted
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If electrical interference could be an issue, I suggest you look into just how big an issue it could be. JREF videotapes all challenge tests, and if the video equipment will interfere with the test you'll have to find some way around it.
 
Great monsterfarmer.
But have you read the challenge rules and requisites (the links that were suggested to you) yet?
 
Usually, the test is arranged to be where ever you are, unless there are no skeptic groups in the area willing to test you.
 
Monsterfarmer, the easiest way for someone to check your ability would be something like Randi's dowsing maze - buried wires that may or may not have power flowing through them. Can you distinguish between a live wire and one that carries no current?
 
quote : Monsterfarmer, the easiest way for someone to check your ability would be something like Randi's dowsing maze - buried wires that may or may not have power flowing through them. Can you distinguish between a live wire and one that carries no current? Quote Eri i dontknow if i could do that i never tryed. on the discover channel website is a forum on myth busters . We were discussing witching or dowsing. I said that i used two pieces of grass and located under ground power lines. A response came why not go for the million. I said what million. The response was this link. A million is a pile of money. So what the hell lets go for the million.
 
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