Vello Freewave User Manual

FREEWAVE

USER MANUAL

1

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for choosing the Vello
FreeWave Wireless Remote Shutter
Release. This device triggers your
camera wired or wirelessly, allowing
you to trip the shutter without
disturbing the camera. It’s ideal for
taking pictures of subjects that are
difcult to approach, such as wildlife. It
also eliminates vibrations caused by
pressing your camera’s shutter release
button during macro, close-up, or
long-exposure photography. The
two-second delay function is great for
self-portraits.

Unlike infrared remotes, which
won’t work if the receiver is not
in direct line-of-sight of the
transmitter, the FreeWave uses
radio frequencies. Radio waves
can pass through and around
objects such as walls, windows,
and oors. You can even trigger your
camera around corners.

The FreeWave can transmit over
16,000,000 possible channels, and there
are no dip switches to set. The device
congures with the press of a button.

2

Your Vello FreeWave
Wireless Remote Shut ter Release
kit contains:

Wireless RF Receiver,
Wireless RF Transmit ter,
Camera Release cable,
Battery, Lanyard, and Clip.

KEY FEATURES

Smar t Code: 16,000,000 possible

radio channels. No dip switches to
set. One transmitter can trigger
multiple receivers.

Extended Range: up to 100m

(320 ft .)

Multi-function: Trigger your camera

wirelessly or wired. Wired
triggering works even if the battery
in the receiver is dead or missing.

Versatile: One receiver works with

dozens of camera models. Just swap
out the camera release cable.

Dual-Function Release: Press

halfway to focus; press full to trig ger
shutter.

Delayed Release: Two-second delay

function gives you extra time to get
into position.

Multi-exposure: Take multiple shots

with one press of the trigger.

Long Exposure: Control the length of

the exposure remotely.

LED indicators: Conrm pre-focus

and exposure during wireless mode.

3

SAFETY WARNINGS CAMERA RELEASE CABLES

• There are no user-serviceable parts
inside the devices. Do not attempt to
disassemble or perform any
unauthorized modication.

• Do not operate the FreeWave in the
presence of ammable gas or vapors.

• Do not handle with wet hands or
immerse in or expose to water or
rain. Failure to observe this
precaution could result in re or
electric shock.

• Keep out of the reach of children.
This device cont ains small parts which
may pose a choking hazard.

• Observe caution when handling
batteries. Batteries may leak or
explode if improperly handled. Use
only the batteries listed in this
manual. Make cert ain to align
batteries with correct polarity.

• Batteries are prone to leakage when
fully discharged. To avoid damage to
the product, be sure to remove the
batteries when leaving the product
unattended for prolonged periods or
when no charge remains.

4

• Do not use or leave the devices in
conditions of extreme heat, severe
cold, or high humidity.

• Turn off the camera’s power before
inserting or removing the remote
cord.

• Dispose used batteries, packaging, and
old devices in accordance with
appropriate local environmental
regulations.

FEATURES DIAGRAM

antenna

conrmation LED

Tra n smi t te r

shutter release button

interchangeable
shutter release cable

conrmation LEDs

Receiver

shutter release button

shot selector

lanyard loop

hold/ready button

power/set button

battery bay

5

POWERING UP

Turning ON the Receiver: Press and
hold the Set/Power button until the
red LED comes on. The Receiver turns
off the same way. Press and hold the
Set/Power button until the red LED
turns off.

Turning ON the Transmitter :

There is no need for a power button on
the Transmitter. The Transmitter is
always ready to re and uses power
only when you press the shutter
release button.

Press and hold the Set/Power
button for ~3 seconds to power up
the Receiver.

6

SETTING THE SMART CODE

The FreeWave supports 16,000,000
possible radio channels. The units have
been synchronized at the factory, so
your system can work right out of the
box. However, to maximize signal quality
and range, it’s best to use the Smart
Code technology to sense the “quiet”
frequencies in your environment and
re-synchronize on that channel.

Multiple receivers can be programmed
to respond to a single transmitter,
allowing you to trigger several cameras
with a single transmitter.

To synchronize the Transmitter
and Receiver(s):

1. Turn on the Receiver(s) by pressing
and holding the Set/Power button
until the left red LED comes on.

2. Set the Receiver(s) to Ready and the
Transmitter to Single/Bulb.

3. Press the Set/Power button on the
Receiver(s) ve times. The right LED
will begin blinking red.

4. Fully depress the shutter button on
the Transmitter. The right LED on the
Receiver(s) will blink and then turn off.

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5. Your Smart Code is set and will
remain set to this code even after the
Receiver is turned off.

To test for synchronization, press the
shutter release button on the
Transmitter. If you press halfway, the
right LED on the Receiver will light
green. Pressing all the way will turn the
LED red. If you don’t see this
conrmation, re-synchronize the units.

MOUNTING THE RECEIVER

If using the FreeWave wirelessly, mount
the Receiver on your camera’s hot shoe,
facing forwards or backwards.

If your camera’s hot shoe is in use, you
can use an optional straight bracket
accessory (Vello CB -600) to attach the
Receiver to your camera.

With your camera and Receiver OFF,
connect the shutter release cable’s
sub-mini plug end to the Receiver and
the other end to your camera’s shutter
release jack. Power up your camera and
Receiver.

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SINGLE SHOTS | WIRELESSLY

1. Turn on the Receiver by pressing and
holding the Set/Power button until
the lef t red LED comes on.

2. Set the Receiver to Ready and the
Transmitter to Single/Bulb.

3. Press the Transmitter’s shutter
release button halfway to wake or
focus your camera (if set to Auto
Focus). The LED will turn green.

4. Fully depress the shutter button on
the Transmitter. The LED will turn
red and the shutter will be triggered.

9

TWO SECOND DELAY / WIRELESSLY

1. Turn on the Receiver by pressing and
holding the Set/Power button until
the lef t red LED comes on.

2. Set the Receiver to Ready and the
Transmitter to 2 Sec Delay.

3. Press the Transmitter’s shutter
release button halfway to focus the
camera (if set to Auto Focus).
The LED will turn green.

4. Fully depress the shutter button on
the Transmitter. The LED will turn
red and the shutter will be triggered
after a two second delay.

10

CONTINUOUS MODE / WIRELESSLY

1. Turn on the Receiver by pressing and
holding the Set/Power button until
the lef t red LED comes on.

2. Set the Receiver to Ready and the
Transmitter to Cont.

3. Press the Transmitter’s shutter
release button halfway to focus the
camera (if set to Auto Focus). The
LED will turn green.

4. If your camera is set to Single Shot
Mode, a full press of the Transmitter’s
shutter but ton will trigger the camera
to take ve photos.

If your camera is set to Continuous

Mode, a full press of the Transmitter’s
shutter but ton will trigger the camera
to take continuous photos until you
release the shutter button.

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To lock in Continuous Mode: Set the
Receiver to Ready and the Transmitter
to Single/Bulb. Set your camera to
Continuous Mode. Fully press the
Transmitter shutter button for four
seconds. The camera will continue to
take photos until you press the shutter
button again.

BULB MODE (LONG EXPOSURE) | WIRELESSLY

1. Set your camera to Bulb mode.

2. Turn on the Receiver by pressing and
holding the Set/Power button until
the lef t red LED comes on.

3. Set the Receiver to Ready and the
Transmitter to Single/Bulb.

4. Press the Transmitter’s shutter
release button halfway to wake or
focus the camera (if set to Auto
Focus). The LED will turn green.

5. Fully depress the Transmitter’s
shutter but ton for three seconds
until the red LED on the Transmitter
turns off. The shutter will remain
open until you half-press or full-press
the shutter button again.

12

SINGLE SHOTS | WIRED

The FreeWave Receiver can also be
used as a wired remote. With your
camera and receiver OFF, connect the
shutter release cable’s miniplug end to
the Receiver and the other end to your
camera’s shutter release jack. Power up
your camera. The Receiver does not
need to be on, but because the Receiver
does not need power in wired mode,
the LEDs will not light.

1. Turn on the Receiver by pressing and
holding the Set/Power button until
the lef t red LED comes on.

2. Set the Receiver to Ready.

3. Press the Receiver’s shutter release
button halfway to wake or focus your
camera (if set to Auto Focus). The
conrmation LED will not display, so
be sure to manually focus or allow
the camera to Auto Focus without
conrmation.

4. Fully depress the shutter button on
the Receiver. The shut ter will be
triggered.

Moving the Receiver switch to Hold
will also trigger the shutter.

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CONTINUOUS MODE | WIRED

1. Power up your camera and set it to
Continuous Mode. The Receiver
does not need to be on, but because
the Receiver does not need power in
wired mode, the LEDs will not light.

2. Set the Receiver switch to Ready.

3. Press the shutter release button
halfway to wake or focus the camera
(if set to Auto Focus).

The conrmation LED will not
display, so be sure to focus manually
or allow the camera to Auto Focus
without conrmation.

4. A full press of the shutter button will
trigger the camera to take
continuous photos until you release
the shutter button.

14

You can also take continuous photos by
moving the Receiver switch to the
Hold position. The camera will take
photos until you move the switch back
to the Ready position.

BULB MODE (LONG EXPOSURE) | WIRED

1. Power up your camera and set it to
Bulb Mode. The Receiver does not
need to be on, but because the
Receiver does not need power in
wired mode, the LEDs will not light.

2. Set the Receiver to Ready.

3. Press the Receiver’s shutter release
button halfway to wake or focus the
camera (if set to Auto Focus). The
conrmation LED will not display, so
be sure to focus manually or allow
the camera to Auto Focus without
conrmation.

4. Fully depress the Receiver’s shut ter
button to take the shot. The shutter
will stay open as long as the shutter
button is pressed.

Sliding the Receiver switch to the Hold
position will keep the shutter open until
the switch is returned to the Ready
position.

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© Fotoquintero

CHANGING THE BATTERIES

The FreeWave Receiver uses a CR2 3V
battery which should last through
approximately 20,000 triggers. It is easy
to change. Slide open the batter y door
on the end of the unit.

The FreeWave Transmitter uses a 23A
12V battery, which should last three
years under normal conditions. To
replace the batter y, release two screws
on the back of the unit to access the
battery. Be sure to line up the catches
on the selector switch before closing.

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The FreeWave includes a camer a
release cable that enables the remote
to work with cer tain models of
camer as, but just by changing the
camer a release cable, a single FreeWave
Receiver can work with many other
camer as as well.

At right are models of Vello Camera
Release Cables for FreeWave and the
camer as they support. For these cables,
and cables for other camera models,
check with your Vello dealer.

RCC-C2 – Canon

RCC-N1 – Nikon D1 / D1H / D1X / D2 / D2H/ D2H s / D2X / D2 XS / D3 / D3X / D3S / D4 / D200 /

RCC-C1 – Canon EOS 30 / 33 / 50 / 60D / 30 0 / Digi tal Rebel (30 0D) / X T (350 D) / XTi (4 00D) / XSi

Samsung GX-1S / GX-1L / GX-10 / GX-20 / NX Series
RCC-S1 – Sony Α100 / Α200 / Α300 / Α350 / Α500 / Α550 / Α560 / Α580 / Α700 / Α850 / Α900 / SLT Α33 /

A35 / Α55 / A57 / A65 / A77
RCC-O1 – Olympus E400 /E410 / E420 / E450 /
E510 / E520 / E620 / E-P2 / E-P3 / E-PL2 /
E-PL3 / E-PM1 / SP-510UZ / SP-550UZ /
SP-560UZ / SP-570UZ / XZ-1

RCC-O2 – Olympus E-1/ E-3/ E-5
RCC-N3 – Nikon D70s / D80
RCC-N2 – Nikon D90 / D3100 / D320 0 / D500 0 /

RCC-P1 – Panasonic DMC-L1 / DMC-L10/ DMC-G1/

EOS 10D / 20 D / 30D / 4 0D / 50 D / 5D / 5D Mark II / 5D M ark I II / 7D / 1D / Mar k II

Mark I In / Mar k III /Mark I V / 1DS / Mark I I/ Mark III / 1D X

D300 / D300s / D70 0 / D800 / D8 00 E Fuji S3pro / S5Pro Kodak DCS-14N

(450D) / XS (1000 D) / T1i (500 D) / T2i (550D) / T3 (110 0D) / T3i (600D) / Power shot G10 /
G11 / G12 / G1 X Contax N / 645 Pentax K100D / K11 0D / K200D / K10D / K20D / K-5 /
K-7 / *ist DS / DS2 / DL2 / DL / D Sigma SD1

D5100 / D7000

DMC-GF1 / DMC-GH1 / DMC-GX1/
DMC-G2 / DMC-GH2 / DMC-G3 /
DMC-G10 / DMC-FZ100 / DMC-FZ150

RCC-N3

RCC-N2

RCC-P1

RCC-O2

RCC-O1

RCC-S1

RCC-N1

RCC-C1

/

RCC-C2

SPECIFICATIONS | TROUBLESHOOTING

Power

Battery Life

Smart Code Channels

Range

Frequency

Conrmation LEDs

Shutter Modes

Trans m i t t e r

12V / 23A

up to 3 years

16,000,000 possible codes

100m (320 ft) with no obstructions

433 MHz

2 color

single shot, 2-second delay, continuous, & bulb

Receiver

3V / CR2

approx. 20,000 triggers

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Troubleshooting

Problems with the FreeWave can be
traced to the following most common
causes. Perform the following steps to
diagnose the problem:

• Check that the shutter release cable

is in good condition and is properly
connected.

• M ake sure that the Receiver switch

has not been set to Hold.

• Remove the battery from the

Receiver, reinsert it, and reset the
Smart Code.

Smar t Code: 16,000,000 possible

radio channels. No dip switches to
set. One transmitter can trigger
multiple receivers.

Extended Range: up to 100m

(320 ft .)

Multi-function: Trigger your camera

wirelessly or wired. Wired
triggering works even if the battery
in the receiver is dead or missing.

Versatile: One receiver works with

dozens of camera models. Just swap
out the camera release cable.

KEY FEATURES

Dual-Function Release: Press

halfway to focus; press full to trig ger
shutter.

Delayed Release: Two-second delay

function gives you extra time to get
into position.

Multi-exposure: Take multiple shots

with one press of the trigger.

Long Exposure: Control the length of

the exposure remotely.

LED indicators: Conrm pre-focus

and exposure during wireless mode.

FCC COMPLIANCE

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.
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
designated to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference
in a residential installation.

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 ON or OFF, 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 distance between
the equipment and the receiver.

This device complies with Part 15,
Subpart B, Class B of the FCC Rules.

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Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful
interference;

2. This device must accept any
interference received,
including interference that may
cause undesired operation.

Any changes or modications (including
the antennae) made to this device that
are not expressly approved by the
manufacturer may void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.

Limited One-Year Warranty

Vello provides a limited warranty that this product is free from defects in materials and workmanship to the
original purchaser under normal use for a period of one (1) year from the original purchase dateor thirty (30)
days after replacement whichever occurs later. Vello’s responsibility with respect to this limited warranty shall
be limited solely to repair or replacement, at its option, of any product which fails during normal consumer use.
This warranty does not extend to damage or failure which results from misuse, neglect, accident, alteration,
abuse, improper installation or maintenance. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN, VELLO MAKES NEITHER ANY
EXPRESS WARRANTIES NOR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY
IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. To obtain a
replacement during the time of this warranty please return the defective item with proof of purchase along
with an RMA number to the place of purchase. This warranty gives you specic legal rights, and you may also
have other rights which vary from state to state.

www.vellogear.com © Copyright 2011 Gradus Group

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