Pocket Wizard Plus III - Remote trigger POCKETWIZARD - Free user manual and instructions

USER MANUAL Pocket Wizard Plus III POCKETWIZARD

IMPORTANT: FCC/Canada frequency radios are NOT compatible with CE frequency radios and vice versa. PocketWizard.com/wheretobuy/frequency

The Plus III is a radio transceiver, capable of acting as a transmitter or receiver for triggering remote flashes and cameras. It requires at least one other PocketWizard radio for wireless triggering. It can be connected to almost any remote flash or camera with the proper sync cable. PocketWizard.com/support/cable_finder

• Please read this Quick Guide thoroughly before operating.
• Visit wiki.PocketWizard.com for extended operating information.

PLUS® III Transceiver

Status LED (PG. 12) Internal Antenna (PG. 13) Backlit LCD (PG. 4) Power/MODE Button (PG. 5) Channel Up/Down Buttons (PG. 11) Zone Toggle Buttons (A, B, C, D) (PG. 11) Test Button (Two Stage Trigger) (PG. 12) Hot Shoe with Locking Ring (PG. 5)

READ ME FIRST:

• All equipment should be turned OFF when making connections, otherwise unwanted triggering or erratic behavior may occur.
• If operation is erratic, check batteries in all equipment first.
• A PocketWizard® transceiver/receiver is required for each remote flash.
• Set all radios to the same channel.

PLUS® III Transceiver

3

Battery Door (PG. 4) 1/4 - 20 Mount Battery Door Latch Lanyard Loop Flash/Camera Port (PG. 5, 6, 7, 8) USB Connector (PG. 12)

INCLUDED IN BOX:

• Plus III Transceiver
• Locking PC Sync Cable
  • Lanyard • 3.5mm (1/8" Miniphone) Cable
• Quick Guide • 6.35mm (1/4" Phone) Adapter

The included cables and adapter are for your convenience. For more reliable connections, visit PocketWizard.com/support/cable_finder to find the correct cables for your gear.

PLUS® III Transceiver

Triggering

Mode

(PG. 9, 10)

Half/Full Press

Indicator

(PG. 7, 12)

Channel

(PG. 11)

TxRx CH 17 AB CD

Battery Level

(PG. 4)

Selected Zones

(PG. 11)

Close-up of hands holding a camera lens with battery pack and screw base (no visible text or symbols)

Note proper

polarity when

installing

batteries.

• Always turn OFF all equipment (PocketWizard® radios, electronic flashes, cameras, etc.) before making connections or replacing batteries.
• The Plus III will operate reliably using almost any pair of 1.5 volt AA (IEC:LR6) batteries. Rechargeable batteries will work, though operation time may be reduced and battery level display may not be as accurate. Remove batteries during storage.

PLUS® III Transceiver

NOTE: This Plus III can work with any PocketWizard® radio transmitting or receiving on Standard Channels. Visit wiki.PocketWizard.com for more information.

Three abstract black shapes on white background: a left-pointing arrow, a right-handled figure, and a thumbs-up (no text or symbols)

Connect transmitting Plus III to camera hot shoe. Tighten locking ring.

Simple line drawing of a camera with three components: a lens, a tripod, and a camera mount (no text or symbols)

Connect receiving Plus III to remote flash with appropriate sync cable. A PocketWizard transceiver/receiver is required for each remote flash.

Plus III Transceiver Basics

Connecting:

Connect a Plus III to your camera via the hot shoe. This will be your transmitting radio. Connect a Plus III to each of your remote flashes using the appropriate sync cable. These will be your receiving radios. If you are using a camera with no hot shoe, or the hot shoe cannot be used, connect the transmitting Plus III's Flash/Camera Port to the camera's sync terminal. Visit

PocketWizard.com/support/cable_finder for correct camera cable.

Powering On/Off:

Make sure batteries are properly installed (PG. 4). To turn on your Plus III, hold down the Power/MODE Button ☐ for about two seconds. The Status LED blinks green every few seconds to indicate normal operation. It will blink red in sync with a trigger. Hold down the Power/MODE Button for about two seconds to turn off your Plus III.

Channels & Zones:

Your Plus III needs to be on the same channel as other PocketWizard radios. Channels can be set via the Plus III's Channel Up/Down Buttons △When using Channels 17-32, you can specify Zones A, B, C, and D. See “Channels and Zones” section for more info.

Remote Flash Triggering

NOTE: With transmitting and receiving PocketWizard ^® radios set to the same channel and zone, remote flashes will be synchronized with the camera.

Camera with Plus® III in hot shoe (Transmitting) Any PocketWizard receiver connected to remote flash (Receiving) *Optimal Mounting Position

Triggering a Remote Flash with your Plus® III Transceiver

1. Attach a Plus III to your camera's hot shoe. You may also connect the Plus III radio to your camera's PC sync port using the included cable.

2. Connect a Plus III to your remote flash via the appropriate sync cable.

3. Select Channel and Zone A, B, C, or D via Channel Up/Down Buttons △▽ and Zone Toggle Buttons. Set any other PocketWizard radios to a matching Channel and Zone. (See the “Using Zones” section for more information)

4. Take pictures normally at or below your camera's X-sync speed. Momentarily pressing the TEST button will test trigger the flash.

*See wiki.PocketWizard.com for more mounting suggestions.

Remote Camera Triggering

7

NOTE: The transmitting PocketWizard ^® radio triggers the receiving PocketWizard radio, which fires the remote camera via a remote camera cable.

graph LR
    A["Camera"] -->|OR| B["Transmitting"]
    B --> C["Remote Camera (Receiving)"]
    C --> D["Camera with antenna"]

Triggering a Remote Camera with your Plus® III Transceiver

1. Connect Plus III to your remote camera via the appropriate remote camera cable.
2. Select Channel and Zone A, B, C, or D via the Channel Up/Down Buttons and Zone Toggle Buttons.
3. Press the TEST button on the transmitting PocketWizard radio or fire the camera in your hands. The remote camera will trigger.

If the transmitting PocketWizard radio in your hands is a Plus III, you can pre-release the remote camera by pressing the TEST button half way. This wakes up the remote camera and lets it respond more quickly and consistently. It can also engage autofocus.

Auto-Relay

NOTE: Auto-Relay allows you to trigger remote flashes in sync with a remote camera and requires only three PocketWizard® radios. Using Auto-Relay is the only situation where not all PocketWizard radios are set to the same channel since the relaying radio triggers them one channel higher than it received on. Visit wiki.PocketWizard.com for additional information.

graph LR
    A["Plus® III (Transmitting) Channel 1"] --> B["Remote Camera (Receiving & Transmitting) Receiving Ch.1 / Transmitting Ch.2"]
    B --> C["Remote Flash (Receiving) Channel 2"]

Using Auto-Relay

1. Set the transmitting PocketWizard radio in your hands to a desired channel and zone.
2. Set the relaying Plus III for your remote camera to the same channel as the radio in your hands and set Triggering Mode to TxRx.
3. Connect the relaying Plus III's Flash/Camera Port to the remote camera triggering port of the camera via a remote camera cable.
4. Slide the relaying Plus III into your remote camera's hot shoe.
5. Connect your remote flash to a PocketWizard receiver via the appropriate sync cable and set it to one channel higher than the transmitting PocketWizard radio in your hands.
6. Press and release TEST on the PocketWizard transmitter in your hands to begin the sequence. Make sure your transmitting and relaying PocketWizard radios are set to the same zone.

Triggering Modes

Modes of Operation

Your Plus® III Transceiver supports six modes of triggering for different applications. You can switch between modes by pressing and quickly releasing the MODE button.

TxRx CH 17 AB CD

TxRx Mode allows the radio to be used as a transmitter attached to a camera or as a receiver connected to a remote flash or remote camera. As an Auto-Sensing Transceiver, the Plus III automatically switches between transmit and receive. This is the default mode.

Tx ONLY CH 17 AB CD

Tx ONLY Mode disables all receiving (Rx) functionality and allows you to use your Plus III as a transmitter only. Use this mode when sharing remote flashes with other photographers. This mode will prevent other photographers from triggering the Plus III on your camera.

Rx ONLY CH 17 AB CD

Rx ONLY Mode disables all transmit (Tx) functionality allowing you to use your Plus III radios as receivers for remote flashes or remote cameras. Use this mode when you do not want a remote Plus III to perform relay functions when mounted in the shoe of a remote camera, or to prevent a remote Plus III from triggering other radios when its TEST button is pressed.

LR CH 17 AB CD

LR (Long Range) Mode doubles the maximum range of a radio in a given shooting environment. Long Range Mode must be enabled on both transmitting

Triggering Modes

and receiving radios. Use this mode when triggering remote cameras at greater distances. It can also be used with remote flash, but there may be a reduction in maximum X-sync speed.

RF (repeater) received on the triggering distance

Mode automatically retransmits any triggers selected channel, increasing the maximum e when a Plus ^® III is place

^® III is placed half-way between

a pair of transmitting and receiving radios. This mode is recommended when triggering remote cameras. It can be used with flash with a reduction in maximum X-sync speed. This is not the same operation as Auto-Relay Mode.

Note: You may use multiple radios in repeater mode for extremely long distances. Make sure each repeating radio can only receive the signal from one other radio, otherwise an endless trigger loop could occur! Put the transmitting radio into Tx ONLY Mode for best performance when using Repeater Mode.

FSK (High Side) time of the Flash of remote flashe

ed Receive) Mode shortens the contact /Camera Port, allowing for triggering s at higher FPS (frames per second).

For more information about triggering modes, visit wiki.PocketWizard.com.

ChannelsChannels and Zones

NOTE: Some PocketWizard® radios, like the MiniTT1® or FlexTT5®, operate on Standard Channels as well as ControlTL® Channels. ControlTL Channels work with TTL or remote flash power control. This Plus III can work with any PocketWizard radio transmitting or receiving on Standard Channels, not ControlTL Channels.

Channels

32 Channels

The Plus ^® III Transceiver supports 32 different Standard Channels. Each Standard Channel represents a digital code transmitted on specific PocketWizard radio frequencies. This enables many photographers to work in the same area or for one photographer to exclusively control different sets of receivers. A Plus III will trigger any number of receiving PocketWizard radios set to the same channel. Radios set to different channels will not trigger each other.

Press the Channel Up/Channel Down Buttons △to change channels. Features that use Zones are only available on channels 17-32.

Using Zones

Zones can be used to toggle remote cameras or flashes on or off from a transmitting PocketWizard radio. Zones can also be used when sharing flashes with another photographer so only some of the remote flashes are shared, even when using the same channel.

Zones A, B, C, and D are selectable via the Plus III's Zone Toggle Buttons when using channels 17-32. The enabled Zones are displayed in a box on the right side of the LCD. You can enable any combination of all four Zones. A receiving Plus III will only trigger if the transmitting PocketWizard radio has at least one matching zone enabled.

Other Functions

TEST Button (Two Stage Trigger)

Half-pressing the TEST button on a transmitting Plus ^® III pre-releases a remote camera connected to a receiving PocketWizard ^® radio with a remote -ACC camera cable. This wakes up the camera and makes it respond more quickly and consistently, but also reduces battery life. Half-pressing this button does not affect remote flashes. See wiki.PocketWizard.com for more information.

Fully pressing the TEST button fires any remote cameras or flashes connected to receiving PocketWizard radios set to the same channel and zones.

Status LED

The Plus III's status LED will blink in three different colors: Green, Red and Amber.

Green Blinking indicates good battery life

Amber Blinking indicates the batteries are getting low or when TEST button is half-pressed

Red Blinking indicates batteries are critically low and should be changed immediately. The status LED turns solid red when Plus III is transmitting or receiving a trigger.

Reset

To reset your Plus III Transceiver back to the default setting, hold the TEST button as you power the radio on. The default mode after a reset is TxRx on Channel 17 with all Zones enabled.

USB

The Plus III can be powered via USB with a compatible AC adapter or from most computers. Future firmware updates can be installed via the PocketWizard Utility.

Sustaining High Performance

NOTE: Your PocketWizard® radios use the environment as a medium for transmitting and receiving radio signals. The performance of your radios depends on their placement in the environment, nearby radio interference, and the radios' orientation and position relative to each other.

Best

Acceptable

Poor

Worst

Orientation of transmitting and receiving Plus® III's for optimal radio reception.

Abstract graphic with crossed-out lines and icons (no text or symbols)

Keep radios away from metal, concrete, or high water-content objects.

Wireless Basics

Whenever possible, maintain a line of sight between radios and keep antennas parallel. Make sure radios are not near any large metal, concrete, or high water-content objects. People and trees are mostly water! Make sure radios are not blocked by these objects or by hills.

The Plus III Transceiver's antenna is fairly omnidirectional and its orientation should not significantly impact performance in most shooting scenarios, but optimizing for radio reception will always improve the maximum range.

Maintain at least a 12" distance between antennas. Avoid direct antenna contact with anything metallic. "Dead spots" have a number of causes, but the solution is usually the same: move the radio a few inches or feet away from the problem area.

Specifications

Technical Information

Frequency: Plus® III FCC/IC: 340.00 – 354.00 MHz

Plus ^® III CE: 433.42 – 434.42 MHz

Transmit Output Power: Less than 1 milliwatt (1/1000 of a watt)

Batteries: 2 x AA (IEC:LR6)

Triggering Delay: 1/1200 of a second

Bandwidth: Narrowband

70KHz Transmit

230KHz Receive

Operating Temperature: Above -15^ C ( 5^ F) and below 50^ C ( 120^ F)

Always use fresh batteries in cold temperatures.

Storage Temperature (without battery): Above -30^ C ( -22^ F) and below 85^ C ( 185^ F) without batteries.

Flash/Camera Port Sync Voltage Tolerance: 300 Volts

Backlit LCD: The Plus III backlit LCD activates automatically when any button other than TEST is pressed. It turns off after 5 seconds.

LEDs: Red LEDs are used for dim light application and do not indicate a hazardous status.

CE Directive

Plus III CE conforms to council directive (1999/5/EC).

RoHS

Plus III FCC/IC and CE versions are RoHS compliant.

Warranty

This PocketWizard® product is covered under a two-year limited manufacturer's warranty. For warranty details, and to register your product, please go to PocketWizard.com/support or contact your local PocketWizard Distributor. Distributor contact information can also be found at PocketWizard.com. To receive a copy of the two-year limited manufacturer's warranty on this PocketWizard product, e-mail us at [e-mail] or write to us at LPA Design, 21 Gregory Drive, Suite 140, South Burlington, VT 05403, United States of America, Attn: Warranty.

Information in this Quick Guide is subject to change. For current operating documentation, features, specifications and compatibility, visit wiki.PocketWizard.com.

© 2011 LPA Design. All rights reserved. Product features and specifications are subject to change without notice. PocketWizard, ControlTL, MiniTT1, FlexTT5, HyperSync, Plus and MultiMAX are either trademarks or registered trademarks of LPA Design. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

For patent information, please visit www.pwpatents.com.

The FCC wants you to know:

WARNING

Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate this equipment.

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy, and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

1. Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
2. Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.
3. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio or television technician for help.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules and also with RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

Plus ^® III FCC ID Number: KDS-PW3-100

Plus® III IC ID Number: 2170A-PW3100