Pocket Wizard frequency confusion

[anesh]

<p>I would like to buy a pair of PW from USA. US frquency is 344 FCC/US. My country uses 433 CE. Will the US ones work in my country?</p>

<p>Secondly will a pair be enough to trigger 3 studio flashes (all have slave cells)?</p>

<p>thanks.</p>

[mike_godwin1]

<p>As long as the freq between the transmitter and receiver are the same, they will work.</p>

<p>If the light with the receiver on it fires and the slave lights see it, then yes, they will fire.</p>

<p> </p>

[leighb]

<p>No. You must get the version approved for use in your country by your national telecommunications office. That includes operating on the correct frequency and other technical considerations. Operation of unapproved devices is illegal in most countries.</p>

<p>The simple solution to multiple flashes is to trigger one from the PW and set the others as optical slaves. Many strobes have the optical slave function built in, you just have to turn it on.</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

<p> </p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>Your radio equipment with wrong frequency of operation could be confiscated at the point of entry to your country, e.g.customs office or the airport entry.</p>

<p>Chances that the local country radio police catches you using illegal radio equipment could be small, since the range of operation is small, and brief periods of transmissions are not long enough to locate you and arrest.</p>

<p> </p>

[joseph_wisniewski]

<p>If you're not doing the sort of 1000 foot, across a stadium triggering that PW is famous for, I'd seriously suggest a pair of cheap, 2.4 GHz (legal in all 160 UN full member countries) radios, like the Yongnuo RF-602 (haven't tried the new 603 yet).</p>

<p>I have a Pocket Wizard "classic" (like the current "Plus II") aversion, because the transceiver on the camera is huge, and blocks my left eye when I shoot verticals. I can see around an RF-602.</p>

[mike_godwin1]

<p>I guess I should have asked if it was a legal question or not..<br>

Will they work? - Yes<br>

Is it legal? - Probably not</p>

<p> </p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>Why not just buy them in the frequency made for your country?<br />As for your second question, one pair of PW will trigger one flash. If the other two flashes have optical slaves, turn them on and the light from the first unit will trigger the other two. Or buy two additional PW units. The one that is transmitting from the camera will trigger all three on the flashes operating as receivers. I'm assuming all three flash units are off camera. If one of them is on camera and connected by hot shoe or PC cord and the other two have optical slaves, then you don't need the PWs at all.</p>

[parv]

<p>"US frquency is 344 FCC/US. My country uses 433 CE." -- Anesh P.

 

<p>

Frequency unit is Hz (hertz). Above mislabeled frequencies are 344 MHz (megahertz) & 433 MHz.

 

<p>

FCC, Federal Communications Commission, oversees use of radio bands (among other things) in USA. CE (Conformité Européene) mark is used in Europe & apparently elsewhere too. A device marked with such letters claims compliance to respective rules & regulations. (Oh, then there is <a href="http://www.southgatearc.org/news/december2010/icom_ce_mark_wanring.htm">C(hina) E(export)</a>. Fun.)

 

<p> Pocket Wizard website has a <a href="http://www.pocketwizard.com/inspirations/technology/frequency/">Frequency</a> page which cites the frequencies used around the world in its products.