Radio Popper and Europe

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Archive 2009 · Radio Popper and Europe

Beni
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p.1 #1 · Radio Popper and Europe

Hi,

Radiopopper have been putting off the release of their EU versions for months now, every month when I email they tell me it will be next month. I've already lost half my wedding season without them and as I use more off camera ETTL am tearing my hair out with the canons optical systems relibility, especially outdoors. I have no patience to bother trying with the PW system, especially as they are not in Europe either.

Radiopopper say that their US units use the same waveband as the GSM waveband in the EU and as such would be unreliable there. Now I know that my cheap chinese radio slaves do trigger if someone is on a mobile phone directly underneath them so I assume that they too have this problem. However it's never been a real problem in years of using them so I'm thinking of whether to ignore the radiopopper warning as well and get the US units so at least I have something.

Does anyone in Europe use Radiopoppers and have anything to report?

Jul 10, 2009 at 12:41 PM

jerrykur
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p.1 #2 · Radio Popper and Europe

I suspect they are not just unreliable, but illegal if they use the same frequencies as cell phones. So it could be more of a frequency licensing issue than a technical problem.

BTW, do you know what frequency the RP's use? Most of the quad band GSM phones here in the States work fine in Europe.

Jul 10, 2009 at 06:16 PM

bacilonur
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p.1 #3 · Radio Popper and Europe

jerrykur wrote:
I suspect they are not just unreliable, but illegal if they use the same frequencies as cell phones. So it could be more of a frequency licensing issue than a technical problem.

I'm no radio frequency expert, but I've got a general ham license and I've transmitted on a whole bunch of frequencies (including 900mhz) that are technically "discouraged" with no ill effects or police coming after me in the UK, Italy, Ireland, and Germany. Most of the freaky stories you read about involving pirate radio stations have people with 50+ watt transmitters and huge antennas.

A little tiny RadioPopper will _never_ get you in that kind of trouble, even if you're using it in downtown London were they've got all sorts of crazy gadgetry to be able to triangulate a transmitter's exact position. Interference will probably not be a problem at most reasonable distances because the signal from the RP will be much clearer than one coming from miles away. I'm sure a ton of people buy 900MHZ cordless phones from overseas and take it back to use in the UK with no ill effects or arrests, so I really wouldn't worry about it.

Jul 10, 2009 at 06:52 PM

nkguy
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p.1 #4 · Radio Popper and Europe

>I suspect they are not just unreliable, but illegal if they use the same frequencies as cell phones. So it could be more of a frequency licensing issue than a technical problem.

RadioPoppers sold in the US and Canada transmit from 902-928 MHz. This conflicts with the GSM-900 mobile phones used in almost every country and region of the world except North America and Japan. RadioPopper products can't be sold legally in Europe until the company has completed a redesign to use different frequencies and until they get through European red tape and get CE certification.

GSM phones in the US and Canada typically run on the GSM-850 and GSM-1900 standards.

Jul 10, 2009 at 10:13 PM

el_hoppy
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p.1 #5 · Radio Popper and Europe

Shhhhh but I have been using US Pocketwizards (bought from B&H) in Sweden for the past 4 years

Jul 11, 2009 at 01:57 PM

Beni
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p.1 #6 · Radio Popper and Europe

nkguy wrote:
>I suspect they are not just unreliable, but illegal if they use the same frequencies as cell phones. So it could be more of a frequency licensing issue than a technical problem.

RadioPoppers sold in the US and Canada transmit from 902-928 MHz. This conflicts with the GSM-900 mobile phones used in almost every country and region of the world except North America and Japan. RadioPopper products can't be sold legally in Europe until the company has completed a redesign to use different frequencies and until they get through European red tape and get CE certification.

GSM phones in the US and Canada typically run on the GSM-850 and GSM-1900 standards.

Yeah but is this a real problem or is the interference, as with my ebay radio slaves (probably illegal too but then so is going 1 mph over 70

) negligeable?

Jul 11, 2009 at 08:17 PM

jerrykur
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p.1 #7 · Radio Popper and Europe

Beni wrote:
nkguy wrote:
>I suspect they are not just unreliable, but illegal if they use the same frequencies as cell phones. So it could be more of a frequency licensing issue than a technical problem.

RadioPoppers sold in the US and Canada transmit from 902-928 MHz. This conflicts with the GSM-900 mobile phones used in almost every country and region of the world except North America and Japan. RadioPopper products can't be sold legally in Europe until the company has completed a redesign to use different frequencies and until they get through European red tape and get CE certification.

GSM phones in the US and Canada typically run on the GSM-850 and GSM-1900 standards.

Yeah but is this a real problem or is the interference, as with my ebay radio slaves (probably illegal too but then so is going 1 mph over 70

) negligeable?

Who knows? The unit is not certified to operate in this environment. You are playing RF interference tester. Hopefully it will work, but you have no basis for a claim if it does not.

Jul 12, 2009 at 11:57 PM

EugeQ
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p.1 #8 · Radio Popper and Europe

Beni. I've been waiting for RP to release the poppers in Europe. Like you anytime I've called them they say "next month". I think we will never see the RP in Europe. This week might bring some good news. Pocket wizards say that they will should be releasing the European version of the TT1 and TT5 on the 17th July
http://www.flickr.com/groups/pocketwizards/discuss/72157619552314147/
If and it's a big IF PW can get their products CE certified why can't RP. Time will tell.
Ssshhhhh......... I've been using US PW's for 4 years in Europe........no probs. Maybe wait a few days and see what develops with the PW's

Jul 13, 2009 at 01:43 AM

sboerup
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p.1 #9 · Radio Popper and Europe

el_hoppy wrote:
Shhhhh but I have been using US Pocketwizards (bought from B&H) in Sweden for the past 4 years

4 years? So you've been using them long before they were ever conceived by Kevin and his team?

Jul 13, 2009 at 03:48 AM

el_hoppy
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p.1 #10 · Radio Popper and Europe

sboerup wrote:
el_hoppy wrote:
Shhhhh but I have been using US Pocketwizards (bought from B&H) in Sweden for the past 4 years

4 years? So you've been using them long before they were ever conceived by Kevin and his team?

Pocket Wizard Plus II

I am making the point of suing US frequency PW's over here. Nothing has changed in that respect with the new ones which I have now also got.

Jul 13, 2009 at 05:58 AM

Beni
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p.1 #11 · Radio Popper and Europe

Only annoying thing is probably when you need extra units, the rentals are all a different frequency.

I'm playing with the idea of trying out the radiopoppers in the UK. Worst case scenario there are probably zero on the 2nd hand market so I should be able to get a good price selling them on. Anyone know if they have released the hotshoe mouting plastic thing they were talking about to replace the velcro and gaffer tape needed at present for the slave unit?

I've just not got the confidence in the pocket wizards, I can't deal with losing FEC from the master to slave unit (you need their new widget and even that won't work iwth a flash on camera). Most of all I distrust that weak hotshoe with a flash and diffuser dangling on top, I shoot weddings and it's fast moving and often rough (sqeezing through people), the reports I've already heard as to the hotshoe snapping mid weddings is making me very wary.

Jul 13, 2009 at 08:45 AM

el_hoppy
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p.1 #12 · Radio Popper and Europe

Rentals is probably not an issue for me as an amatuer but I can see that it is a valid point for pro's, besides I have 4 PW PLUSII, Mini & 2 TTL but now use EL skyports as I switched to EL. so I have more than enough radio units

I did however original buy an Sekonic L358 in Singapore and then a 2nd one from B&H when I discovered that the L358 and not the US radio module determined the frequency

I was under the impression that RP won't deliver outside of the US and Canada, but it was a long time ago that I checked that.

Jul 13, 2009 at 09:32 AM

Beni
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p.1 #13 · Radio Popper and Europe

I've got enough people in the US who will help me out, that's not the problem.

Jul 13, 2009 at 10:13 AM

EugeQ
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p.1 #14 · Radio Popper and Europe

Beni, Hope I'm not hijacking your thread. I agree with you, I like what the RPs can do and I am also tempted to buy them but the PW would marry into my exisitng system ( provided I get them from the US) as I have a Sekonic L358 with US radio model and 4 PW Plus II's also from US
But a question for el_hoppy. Are you happy with the new mini and TT5 from PW? Is range an issue? Where did you buy in the US, B&H or other dealer

Jul 13, 2009 at 03:09 PM

el_hoppy
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p.1 #15 · Radio Popper and Europe

EugeQ, I bought mine from B&H. I've bought a few things from them so I find them easy to deal with now except that they close the online order usually when I want to shop

I haven't used them too much yet but they seem to work ok. I'm not quite sure what the big deal about the range is, at least for me when shooting a model I am never too far from her or the lights anyway

Jul 13, 2009 at 04:17 PM

shoebox9
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p.1 #16 · Radio Popper and Europe

Any update here?

Have you gone on a Euro testing tour with your USA RP's yet el-hoppy?

Aug 09, 2009 at 01:28 PM

Beni
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p.1 #17 · Radio Popper and Europe

I wrote a strong email to radiopopper asking them for an honest answer not a cut and paste with the month changed each time as I've had for the past 6 months.

This was their reply.

Significant progress has been made on the EU version. We have had legitimate delays and are hoping to be able to make an announcement very soon. In 30 days we should have a more concrete timeline for a European release. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

In other words don't hold your breath!

Aug 09, 2009 at 02:32 PM

el_hoppy
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p.1 #18 · Radio Popper and Europe

shoebox9 wrote:
Any update here?

Have you gone on a Euro testing tour with your USA RP's yet el-hoppy?

Nope...

I have US PW not RP...

Anyway I now have the EL Quadra so I'm not interested in the strobist thing now.

Aug 09, 2009 at 06:52 PM

Langran
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p.1 #19 · Radio Popper and Europe

And here I was thinking they might actually be here soon after the US versions. Sorry to drag this thread up but I'd be interested to hear what people have decided to go for in light of not being able to get the radio poppers.

Aug 18, 2009 at 05:03 PM

nkguy
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p.1 #20 · Radio Popper and Europe

PocketWizard ControlTL units are shipping in CE countries now. I'm not particularly surprised that it took LPA a while to get them out here, and why it's taking Leap (RadioPopper) a long time to get their CE certification. There's a lot of complicated bureaucracy, and both companies are quite small operations. They're not giant multinationals with offices all over and large engineering teams.

Aug 19, 2009 at 01:37 AM

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