The Sad But True History of the MEL Meter

by Amy S

You have likely used a Mel Meter 8704, but do you know the tragic history behind its creation? The meter, which measures fluctuations in electromagnetic fields and temperature, is named after seventeen-year-old Melissa Galka. On September 24, 2004, Gary Galka, who was particularly close with his daughter, could not fall asleep. He had a feeling of unease. “Why isn’t she home yet?” As he watched out the window, he was relieved to finally see headlights. “That must be Mel,” he thought. Instead, it was a frantic friend explaining Melissa lost control and hit a tree. He went to the scene and watched helplessly as firefighters used the jaws of life to remove his beautiful daughter from her car. He followed the ambulance to the hospital. There, tests showed she suffered from severe brain damage. Four days later, her family made the heartbreaking decision to take her off life support.

Immediately, the family began to experience ADC, after death communication. Activity included touches, ringing doorbells and lights turning on and off. Full body apparitions were seen by her sisters and brother in law. Her father claims he felt the bed depress, as she sat down and placed her hand on his chest.To better understand the paranormal, Gary began watching ghost hunting shows. The electrical engineer noticed investigators using tools intended for the electrical trade. He decided to use his expertise to create a tool to measure EMF and temperature to be used specifically for ghost hunting. This first tool was the Mel Meter 8704. He named the device to honor his daughter, affectionately called Mel, and the numbers signify the year of her birth and death, 8704. Gary began to use recorders, Mel Meters and a spirit box he created to communicate with the daughter he dearly missed. Activity was particularly prevalent on her birthday, February 14th. Each year, her family celebrated her birthday with a heart-shaped cake. After her death, the family continued this tradition and her presence was especially strong. Her father even was able to record her saying “Hi Daddy. I love you,” through the spirit box.

Since his first invention, he has continued to create more than 30 other tools, including REM-pods and spirit boxes. He employs a staff of six, in Ganby, Connecticut who build not only ghost hunting tools, but other tools with commercial and medical applications. A large percentage of the proceeds from the sales of Mel Meters benefit grief support charities.