PocketWizard Plus II won't transmit

[eric_m4]

<p>I have three Pocketwizard Plus II Transceivers and one of the transcievers was working fine on camera yesterday but today it will not transmit from camera, it only receives when attached to Nikon SB-800's. Test button also does not fire when attached to camera hotshoe but it does work when attached to flash by cable. Everything works fine when attached to flash by cable. I changed batteries, tried different channel(s), tried different mode settings: remote, local, and both. It seems like its just screwed up but I'm hoping someone out there in Photo.net land knows something I haven't tried. Thanks.</p>

[ellis_vener_photography]

It sounds lke the hotshoe is damaged, possibly a short in it. If that is all it is it should be a relatively cheap fix. It's a LNG

shot but have you also tried changing batteries?

[eric_m4]

<p>Hi Ellis,<br>

I did change the batteries but it didn't help. I'm not sure it's the hot shoe because the "test' button doesn't work either whether it's on camera or being handheld. The test button only works when it's attached by cable to a flash. It's a weird quirk. Seems like whatever circuitry does the transmitting is dead. The receiving part seems to be fine. I believe it's a discontinued model, does something like that get sent back to PocketWizard for repairs?</p>

[colin_mattson1]

<p>Eric,<br>

Yep, give 'em a call. They can walk you through some troubleshooting and set up a repair if needed.<br>

I don't know how long ago you got them, but they could potentially even still be under warranty. </p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>First thing I would do is put a flash directly into the camera hot shoe and make sure that it's working. If it does, that tells you the problem is with the PW, not the camera or the flash.<br /><br />Next I would connecting the PW to the PC contact on your camera by cable. If it transmits that way, that would suggest the problem is in the PW's hotshoe. If your camera doesn't have a PC contact, try with a hotshoe-to-PC adaptor if you have one.<br /> Definitely call them. Probably not under warranty since this model was discontinued around a year or so ago so you're probably had it at least that long. If they quote you more than maybe $50 for repair, I would keep this one as a receive-only unit rather than spending money on it. You still have two that transmit and while it's good to have a backup you only need one transmitter at a time.</p>

[eric_m4]

<p>Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Keep it as receiver and get a new PlusX. It was a good idea to double check camera hot shoe, thanks Craig. I like PocketWizards but they do have a flimsy feel to them. </p>