Leaderboard

After 3 seasons of driving with us in Carnity, @Aser will unfortunately be leaving us as he is relocating to Canada. We want to thank Aser for his help and support he has provided to so many of us in the club and wish him well on his future adventures! Perhaps not in the sand but maybe with an F150 in the Canadian woods! Let's all say THANKS and wish him all the best!

Thank you to the BIG Carnity family, all the leads, support, members and specially to @Luke K P for introducing me to this club where I found everything I was looking for, a way to learn and explore with a focus on safety. If I ever was too "direct" to any of you in my "support" role please keep in mind safety is integral part of my daily job. 😅 Don't stop learning on every drive and enjoy the desert freedom! I will keep an eye on the gallery and deeply miss sharing the desert with all with you. For the newbies, keep that convoy and radio discipline, "Enforcer out"! 🤣

Join us for a stargazing session in Al Razeen Abu Dhabi! What to expect on June 13: Best shooting window: roughly 10:00 PM – 3:30 AM Milky Way core direction: southeast to south Best composition time: around midnight to 2 AM when the core rises higher Moonlight should be minimal and likely only affect the horizon before dawn. Bring your Digital Camera, and we will help you practice getting the best results out of it. The plan is to have a meetup with max. 10 members to practice and enjoy the art of Night photography and learn from each other. Bring whatever Digital camera you have and have a look at the advisable settings in your camera's manual or ask in the forum. After the event you can publish your photos in our gallery! Meetup Location: Al Razeen, Abu Dhabi https://maps.app.goo.gl/AqfvMcdzgXsUsnrZ8 Meetup Time: 9PM at the meeting point from where we will deflate. End Time: Approx 2AM we will head back to the exit. What to bring: Red headlamp and/or flashlight, camping chair, Camera or Smartphone, tripod, film/memory cards, extra battery, Recommended Lens(es). A tripod is recommended for night photography. Please do not bring big LED flood lights. We want to make sure our eyes can adjust to the dark. This is not an Off-Road Drive, but we will have to deflate at the entry point and head into the desert for 7-8 km so we have minimal light pollution. For the members who are joining us, please let us know which camera/lenses you are using and if you have practiced night photography before. @Imran Asghar@Luke K P@samamara

Thank you @Ishak for the great drive last Friday morning, it really was enjoyable. The sun was hot, the sand was soft but a fantastic morning overall. Thank you for the second lead @Zsolt and support from @Dodi Syahdar & @Mahesh_. Everybody drove really really well, very few refusals and some great patience shown by @Shary on one of the final climbs to enter the double bowl. have a great week. See you all again soon.

Congratulations @Lukas Wii for reaching the Fewbie Level with Carnity Offroad Club! Looking forward to seeing you growing further and helping others to learn the art of offroading in a safe environment. Please make sure your Carnity user profile is always updated with all the latest Emergency contact details. P.S. Trip lead might deny your participation if you don't have required off-road gear. FEWBIE Drives Attended (Indicative) Minimum 5 Newbie drives are required within last 3 months for Fewbie promotion. What you'll learn Basic dune and sand reading Self-recovery techniques Shoveling at right place Crawling out of difficult situations Blip Blip - Coordinate steering and gas control Basic side sloping and hill climb Basic ridge riding and criss crossing Basic control over technical dunes Slightly faster pace desert driving Ability to manage stuck/refusals with radio Learn to control and avoid fishtailing Never fight or challenge gravity Skills required Enthusiastic and positive attitude Willingness to learn and help others Presence of mind and attention to detail Car Worthiness Any 4x4 vehicle with low range gearing Suitable approach and departure angle Off-road gear required Safety flag, tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, shovel, fire extinguisher, medical kit, radio (walkie-talkie), air compressor. Drive teamwork Manage second lead and sweep positions upon request Intuitive and proactive to support Trip Lead Observe recoveries and offer help, when needed Drive Joining Join Newbie and Fewbie drives Forum participation Active participation on the forum Share drive experience + feedback Share drive pictures in the gallery Post trip report after the drive

Thanks for getting me into off-roading! chsnge the yellow dunes for the white snow, best of luck there, I’ll miss your sharp comments on the radio and stopping the convoy so you can adjust your shocks… yet once again buen viaje amigo!

Thank you @Aser I am happy I was able to drive with you in the last few drives recently. Even on the last drive you were about to leave early but still you stayed with the convoy and supported us throughout the drive. You might not remember but you've corrected me on couple refusals and guided me. Thank you for everything. Wishing you all the very best and much success in your new life in Canada!

@Aser it was a pleasure to meet and drive with you! You trully were the safety keeper in all the drives I had with you😂 All the best for you and your family in this new adventure in Canada! Gracias por todo! Suerte👊

Hi @Aser it has been a real pleasure learning the desert together over the last almost 3 years. From the Newbie days through to tackling the RDC together earlier this year. Getting to know you as a person and not just another club driver, as well as your lovely family (including the dogs!) You will be missed by many, including those who have been on the end of your enforcer radio voice! Many NB's and FB's have leant a lot from your no-nonsense approach to safety and radio discipline. Will miss seeing you master the big bowls and dunes of Sweihan, Al Salamat and Liwa! All the very best for your new adventures in Canada!

I've just opened up the RSVP I've just opened up the RSVP @Zsolt if you have a digital camera (DSLR or mirrorless) with a tripod you would be fine with a wide angle lens that you have. For night photography it would ideally have to be a fast lens (f/2.8 or lower). Even with Iphone you might get decent results, but you would definitely need a tripod as well.

hi @Frederic - pls count me in (somehow can't figure out how to join). I'm not a big photo geek, but will figure out And would not like to miss the good company

Hey @Ishak, thank you very much for the wonderful drive. Really appreciate the support from you and the support team @Dodi Syahdarand @Glenn W, along with everyone else involved. It was great seeing you all. Have a nice weekend, and hope to catch up again on the next drive.

haha @Zsolt you beat me to the post, i’ll add the evidence

@Mark B - wow at 07:01 the drive is full. And seems to be more an Intermediate, than fewbie plus

All the best @Aser good luck to you and your family on your next adventure

It was a pleasure to have known and driven with you. You're going to a great place. Maybe our paths will cross there sometime.

@AserWish you all the best in Canada and we will mis you. Thanks for your great guidance on our drives.

@Aser Wish you all the very best for your future endeavors

All the Best @Aser truly I enjoyed driving with you in the day and night . Wish you happy and joyful life where ever you land . You will be remembered 🌹👍 in Canada woods there lots of wilderness to hunt , you might get across Gazals too 😅

All the best @Aser. We will miss you. Your presence will be felt ever so often wherever we see your ride.

Hello , I am in as well. How do I enroll?

We will give you a free lift into the dunes. (old DCT start point). Canon 5D mk2 with Samyang f/2.8 14mm

🥹

I'm in - can drive to meeting point but will need a lift for off-road section. Old Nikon full frame camer + Nikkor f/2.8 14-28 Seestar s50 telescope.

Wishing you the very best to you and your family @Aser Cheers!! 😊

Awesome! Count me in 100%

Hi @Zsolt @Menon Arun @Aringga @Nikki1007 @Dodi Syahdar @Lazy Frog @Hartzel @Riyad @Mahesh_ @Shary @Glenn W Thank you for joining this drive, and for being on time so we could start moving at 6.40 🫡. After crossing the farm track, we had small refusal but @Lazy Frog quickly get back on track. I got trapped after following@Dodi Syahdar half track and ended up in a small nasty pocket 🤣. Maybe Dodi was feeling guilty so he pulled me out of it 😁. Thanks to our 2nd lead @Zsolt for polishing my track and adjusting it whenever needed. @Menon Arun good to hear that you were not afraid of heights during the drive. You need to join more drive and you will get addicted to climbing... maybe 😅. @Aringga it seems like the new tires are way better than before, but it is not only the tires, the driver also getting better 👍👍. @Nikki1007 well done on your first Fb drive! you drove very well, I thought you might have many refusal but I was wrong 🫡. Thanks to our support team @Dodi Syahdar and @Mahesh_ for their support during recoveries. With the clear and gentle instructions, keeping everyone calm and building confidence. @Lazy Frog welcome back to the sand after couple of weeks away. Please join more Fb drive to better understand the Frog's behavior 🤣. Overall you did a great. @Hartzel it seems like you and the Fortuner have relly clicked. She will be sad when you drive the wrangler on Sunday 🤣 @Riyad looking forward to driving with you on higher level with the beast. You will enjoy tomorrow's training with @Mark B at the garden @Shary the last climb was challenging as the track was already churned up, Even I had a refusal with 14 psi, if we lower the pressure it would be just fine. Other than that you drove very well. Thanks to our "no man left behind" @Glenn W for making sure everyone stayed on the track and thanks for the rerouting. Having you at the back gives me peace of mind. We ended the drive on high note by exiting the bowl and everyone got out from the bowl without any refusals, well done 👏👏👏. See you on the next drive

Below you can the typical Camera Settings as preparation for Astrophotography. Nicely summed up by @Mikhail Lukichev and will serve as a good reminder before starting any night photography session. select RAW mode decrease brightness of the screen to minimum disable long exposure noise reduction disable high ISO noise reduction select manual focus mode turn on live-view zoom in the picture in the live view mode select manual shooting mode (M) disable auto ISO set ISO to 3200 set shutter speed to 15sec set aperture to minimum (f1.8 - F3.5) set manual white balance to 3200-3500K Take a shot, and then play with the ISO and Shutter speed timings to obtain the best possible result. Both have their pros and cons. If your ISO setting is too high you will start getting to much noise in your image. If your shutter speed is too long you will start having "trailing star" issues due to the movement of the earth. Hence the 3200ISO and 15seconds is a good starting point. Equipment List 1) tripod suitable for your camera. There is no need to have an expensive tripod, however, if your camera and lens is heavy, sturdy tripod would be handy. 2) DSLR or mirrorless camera able to shoot in raw with exposure time up to 20 seconds. If you do not have one, you can try to shoot with a simple point and shoot camera or phone, but lack of settings could be an issue. If you have a camera but not sure if it is suitable or not, feel free to ask here! 3) wide angle lens. (14,24,28,35mm would be great) Actually, any kit lens should work fine. Do not bring your telephoto lens or a portrait lens this time, we will not use it. Again, if your are not sure what to bring with you, feel free to ask! 4) a bit of adhesive tape would be handy but not mandatory. This is to keep your manual zoom in place. 5) fully charged battery for your camera. 6) red light headlamp. Red light helps a lot operating your camera and not overstressing your eyes