Wireless trigger options for AlienBees?

I'm ordering an AlienBee, but I've become very comfortable with my triggers and they don't work with ABs.

I'm looking at the cybersyncs on the AB site, but honestly I really don't want to spend that kind of money. It looks like this option will work to trigger both my AB and hotshoe flashes:

http://cgi.ebay.com …ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcm​dZViewItem

Is that right? I have the same brand currently (just not this particular type) and for the money, I've been extremely happy with the performance... so I'm not really looking for performance reviews -- I know they aren't pocketwizards. I just want to be sure I can use them to trigger both types of flashes.

AND... does anyone know if the 16 channel trigger will trigger the 4 channel type receiver? I'm guessing no, but wouldn't that be nice?

The Cybercyncs are fairly inexpensive...I know you said they were out of your price range but you might want to reconsider, I have them and they are soooo much better than the ones you mention. I have never had a mis fire with them and they are built very rugged. And they have a 100% guarantee. PC Buff has some very interesting new technology being released soon with the Cybercyncs and Cyber Commander and something you would use in the future...You might find that interesting reading on the Alien Bees forums.

AndreaBFS wrote in post #7092287
I've become very comfortable with my triggers and they don't work with ABs.

What kind of triggers won't work with Alienbees?

As I mentioned, I'm very happy with my off-brand triggers and have also never had a misfire and don't find them to be built that poorly considering they were less than $20 each. It's not that I can't afford cybersyncs or pocketwizards, I just choose not to make them a priority. I'm opting for a 100mm macro instead since I only do studio stuff to keep me occupied during the winter. If I did weddings and had once-in-a-lifetime moments to capture, I'd spend the money.

Curtis, the triggers I use don't have a pc sync port -- they are specifically made for hotshoe flash. I'm just trying to make sure that the ones I posted above will work with both hotshoe flash and ABs together... at the same time. I think they will but I would hate to make that mistake.

I have an AB800 and a giant softbox in my cart at the AB site... I have an extra light stand, the softbox comes with a speedring, so I think I have everything I need once I figure out the trigger issue.

Why not trigger your hot shoe flash and let it trigger AB?

For starters even pc sync cord is not bad. I usually connect my camera to the fill light which is close by. Other ABs get triggered optically. This is before I got CyberSyncs.

bobbyz wrote in post #7093622
Why not trigger your hot shoe flash and let it trigger AB?

One reason is because I have 3 hotshoe flashes that I would like to trigger, and one of them does not act as a slave, so it would be useless in my setup. Another is that I don't really want the extra weight and hassle of using a huge hotshoe flash for what a tiny little transmitter can do just as well. Also, if I'm triggering with head on flash that I don't need, I've lost the usefulness of that flash as a BG light or a rimlight or other purpose light. The PC Sync cord won't trigger my other flashes, either... so it's not going to solve the issue in my OP.

Again.. seriously.. all I wanted to know is whether I can trigger my hotshoe flashes and ABs at the same time with the triggers I posted. I went ahead and asked the seller in e-mail, but he may not get back to me right away. Looks like he's going to be the best option for my answer at this point.

Set up your hot shoe flash units as you want them and let the optical trigger on the ABs fire them based on your wireless hot shoe flashes being fired?

I wouldn't put a large amount of money on the ability of two different radio units working together. It does appear that the unit you posted will fire the AB based on the plug I see.

That is an option. However, like I said, I do want to have a trigger if I want to use just the AB for some reason -- like an on-location simple setup. I'll just wait for the seller to get back to me.

So, you would like a male hotshoe adapter to something that will get to a "Bee" or a combination of cords that will do the job. Try Flash Zebra http://flashzebra.com/. If Lon doesn't have it in stock, he can probably make it up. I would think there would be a market for this combination. If you have a set of eBay triggers that work, I would suggest hanging on to them. I have a good working set myself that has never let me down when it wasn't obviously my fault and it has made me very slow to upgrade. I can wait for the RadioPopper JrX to come out and not suffer very much at all. Heck, I even use my eBay cheapies for paying jobs.

I am told that eBay triggers do not mix and match. I've never tried it, but I don't think I would.

Thanks, Jim. I'll check that out. Still waiting to hear back from the seller, too.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who isn't disgruntled about ebay triggers.