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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/27/2021 in all areas

  1. Trip Report: Always a great nostalgic kind of feeling coming back to this area around Pink rock where I first started my desert driving hobby with Carnity. It turned out even special this time around as I was driving leading a Newbie drive in the dark, challenging for everyone . Glad to see all on time , maintaining COVID appropriate behavior and ready deflated around the time as scheduled. @Foxtrot Oscar called out the names as we lined up for this adventure in the dark to scale up pink rock and further. We all drove with hardly any issues to pink rock, in rather quick time which was impressive as some of you especially at the front were less experienced . We took turns to climb the pink rock albeit safely, using the members who had off-road lights to lit up the rock which was quite a sight to see in the dark. Very nice videos recorded by @Ehab , @PaoloMarazitiand @Morshedi. We all enjoyed it as much as you did! Once we were at the top, I decided to make it thrilling and bump up the level a bit heading towards Big Red/ Badayer. This meant we will be venturing into softer sand and bigger bowls which are a bit challenging for the new members especially in the dark. As we drove that's when we started to have refusals and stucks in softer bowls where in getting out was becoming tricky. But with excellent support offered by CF @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ and @Alexander Alcala we were able to sort them pretty quickly. At one point on a soft patch @Ahmed Mostafa showed some great patience almost managing a manual crawl using the "blip blip" which was impressive. That's when the infamous Pajero AT light turned on on this car and we had to cool it down, and in few min Muhammed Kashif puller him off . I was personally avoiding this as we all , especially at newbie should learn the art of self recovery and stagger our recovery : 1st- Gears 4H/4L/Diff lock with steering maneuvers, 2nd Shovelings, 3rd - Rope Tugs, 4th - Winch, 5th - Other extreme methods ....last a chopper/bulldozer if nothing works🀣. Well done my dear ! Getting you all on tarmac took some time as we were behind pink rock which a bit bushy and with some rocks in between. Negotiating through meant we extended the drive a bit, but it was adventurous as there were some tight dunes and sharp drops which you all managed well. The wrangler bunch @Miguel Codes, @Ehab and @Morshedi did well to drive in the dark. The FJ bunch specifically put at the back considering some were more experienced FB and some had their masterclasses with the masters at Carnity - @Niekku, @Ahmad Shaker, @PaoloMaraziti, @JeromeFJ had hardly any or minimal issues which was great. @Abdul Rahman AK showed how well he can manage his Pajero even at the back and was always ready to help. Immense thanks to @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ, @Alexander Alcala and @Foxtrot Oscar for your support. @Danish Mohammad for being my 2nd lead and defacto leader whose tracks you all followed. We drove for around 27 km at a reasonable pace especially for the first half, and considering newbie drive in dark this was nice. Please apply for your promotion if you have completed the required set of drives and have the required gears for next level. Enjoy rest of your week, see you all soon
    7 points
  2. Dear Desert Wanderers, this RSVP is now closed. Due to very unfortunate circumstances, I will not be able to lead this drive. It really makes me very upset, but there's nothing I can do about it. My very good friend @Luca Palanca Falsini kindly made himself available to step in at the last minute, so he will be taking the lead tomorrow morning. Please find below the convoy order: @Darren Brooke, @Zed, @Alain Canivet-Abikhalil, @Rawad Bahsas, @GauravSoni, @Batuhan Kulac, @soumyasaklani, @Lakshmi Narasimhan, @Dodi Syahdar, @varunmehndiratta and @Shaaz Sha, this drive is going to be a nice and fun Fewbie Drive. @Luca Palanca Falsini will see how far to push it, as there are several newly promoted Fewbies. As every other time, this drive will require your full and undivided concentration at every step, so make sure you come well rested and hydrated and that you don’t have any reason for being distracted. Also, please consider carefully if you wish to bring passengers along with you. We will be using Carnity Channel 2 (446.03125MHz). See you tomorrow morning, ready to go (i.e. already deflated, flagged and briefed) by no later 5:45am (sharp), so make sure you make it to the meeting point at least by 5:30am. I will really miss this drive!!! Have fun also on my behalf...
    5 points
  3. Dear @Lorenzo Candelpergher hope everything's alright and works out...thank you for arranging πŸ‘πŸ» Dear @Luca Palanca Falsini my car is Land Cruiser 100-series, the Patrol has been pushed back to absolute newbies and mall-crawling only πŸ˜‚ *one of these days I need to update my profile pic πŸ˜„ Looking forward in meeting you and following your drive tomorrow πŸ‘πŸ»
    4 points
  4. 4 points
  5. Thanks @Frederic- I'll keep my eye on things. In case it makes a difference I'm a photographer (very enthusiastic amateur) and have done astro many times (stars, milky way, star trails, etc.). I won't need help but will be more than happy to help others 😊 !
    3 points
  6. Hello! In my opinion, it is totally up to you to choose Nikon or Canon, both are good. I can advise to buy popular DSLR with popular lens mount so you can find lots of new and used lenses on the market. So, Nikon 5600 or Canon eos 800D should be fine.
    3 points
  7. Thank you for the info; Sorry to bother...I will wait to the proper time. Thank you for the info on the night drive, I am into a 6am drive on the 30th; I love dunebashing, but I think that is a bit too much...next time maybe.
    3 points
  8. Thanks a bunch for the exciting drive that day @Lorenzo Candelpergher, im glad i was able to confirm all the things i'd learned on my first Intermediate drive! That view from the top of the dune was amazing as well, would love to see if we could spend a night camping at the top, i can imagine it'd be a beautiful sight to wake up to, lets hope winter treats us well, @Shehab Alawadhi and I will prepare some great meat to eat along with some singing. I'm still looking through the dash cam footage but im sure i can find us a nice clip to post (At least shots of @Lorenzo Candelpergher, @marks, @Hisham Masaad and @amir amiri ) I'm quite impressed with how gentle @amir amiri was with the throttle despite his massive engine! PS @Shehab Alawadhi i may have left my Lug Wrench in your car somewhere, let me know if i should bring a search team to help find it in your rear seat area.
    3 points
  9. @Lorenzo Candelperghercatch up in the next drive.@Luca Palanca Falsini looking forward to be part of your drive first time!!!
    2 points
  10. 2 points
  11. @Ruan van den Heeverthanks for the update. For sure, we would be doing this area very soon again as the season of the night drives has just started and I look forward to meeting you on the next one. Take care.
    2 points
  12. @Frederic - any hope that the size of this drive will be bumped a bit?
    2 points
  13. Dear @Miguel Codes, As per the record you are still newbie. As this is a fewbie drive, I will have to remove you from the RSVP. There's a newbie night drive on 29th if you're interested. You need to apply for promotion after you have completed required number of drives to get to fewbie level. Please find below the grading structure. @Lakshmi Narasimhan, I can see that you have already RSVP'd @Gok Krish added you to the RSVP.
    2 points
  14. This is the biggest risk we had in some time. I think we all miss a bit of rain - but I saw an updated forecast that made it look a lot less likely that it will rain. We will not drive if there is torrential rain, like last time. It's too dangerous, because the sand will soak up the water very quickly and become muddy. HT tires lose traction quickly in that situation. This will only be relevant when we have big heavy rain. A few days after rain is perfect, because the sand will be hard packed, but straight after the rain ...
    2 points
  15. Pls add me in waitlist for this drive. Thanks. I already have a drive in morning.
    2 points
  16. I still have my EOS 500D but unfortunately my son did something to it and its not switching on. Got to give it for repair. @Brette you need to switch from Auto to the creative zones of the camera and discover new techniques of photography which your EOS 550 is very capable of delivering. Its like you have a 4X4 but never switched it from 2H to 4HI all the time you had it. Recently one of my friend was saying he had used 2 Pathfinders for 15 years but never even dared to touch the 4HI knob. After a drive with @Tbone as my passenger he is regretting he never tried all this with his cars. Then you can try the new mirrorless series from Canon when the budget suits you. Canon 5D Mark IV is already 2 or more years old now. I heard their mirrorless are beasts.
    2 points
  17. Dear @Ranjan Das, sorry to hear you won't make it for Wednesday. @Dodi Syahdar, you are in. Waitlisted are, in order of priority, @PaoloMaraziti, @Lawrence_Chehimi and @Werno.
    2 points
  18. Thank you everybody for the above feedback, photos and videos, it is highly appreciated. I am glad to know that you enjoyed the drive and it was a great pleasure to meet each of you. Pretty much everything has been covered in your comments, so there is not much to add in the drive report. I am impressed with your driving, considering there was new fewbies, i started slow and gradually kept raising the level and you guys coped successfully. All of you did very well, there was barely few refusals and there was no usage of recovery rope. You all quickly learned to criss cross and ridge ride and luckily the terrain gave us the opportunity to have good practice. Thank you Joe for being an amazing second lead and Mukundan for your support as centre forward. Big thanks to Ale for his fantastic support and assistance. Hope to see you soon in the sand, stay safe.
    2 points
  19. Hello Mr Kailas...I was looking for a night drive this weekend and you are the only one available. Same day early morning I think we are together in a newbie drive. I don't know if with that one in the morning I am eligible for fewbie. If it works, can you please put me on your night drive? Thank you. If we see each other in the morning I can show you the necessary gear. I think I have it all. Thank you Sir.
    2 points
  20. We ready for the drive @Ale Vallecchi. The co drivers are all familiar and we have driven with each other so many times. You can even promote the drive to Intermediate Expert level if you so wish. None of us are going to shy away from any challenges.
    2 points
  21. Different ways of crossing sand dunes Throughout the Carnity Offroad briefings you might have heard the terms "straight up and straight down", "side sloping", or "criss-crossing", and these are basically different techniques that we use in desert for crossing the sand dunes. Each come with its own risks and by learning and understanding the technicalities behind them i hope we can all learn faster and get more confidence in executing them. I hope below tutorial gives a more clear understanding on the subject and we can use it for future reference. 1) Straight Up - Straight Down Carnity Offroad Level: Newbie and Fewbies Description This technique is one of the very first we learn to apply when learning offroading. The trick is to approach the dune straight up with "JUST" enough momentum to make it through, but not too much to damage bumpers or cause a jump. One should always take into account the resistance that the sand offers based on different areas, and even more on different seasons. Most sand dunes have two sides - The windward side, which is the side where the prevailing wind blows on, and can be recognized by the wavy lines of the sand. This is the side where we ride on because the sand is more compacted and firm to drive on. - The slip-face side, this the softer backside (smooth side, no lines) of the dune which is generally not recommended to climb on, but this technique can later be learned as you advance through the off-road levels (slip-face attack). How to tackle It is advisable to start off at the bottom of the dune with applying a decent amount of power, and start letting go of the gas once you have climbed 75% of the dune. By that point the momentum should carry you further, and as soon as the car front wheel touches the crest, leave the gas completely or apply a bit of gentle braking when needed, to let you slide on other side of the dune safely. In fact the perfect technique is finding that right amount of momentum that you don't even need to apply brakes on the other side. Some gentle blips of throttle can help at the top to push you over the edge, as you learn and master this first step. If you run out of momentum going upwards to cross the dune, do not worry or panic, this is called a REFUSAL. Gently reverse and slowly come back in a straight line as you have climbed up. Announce on the radio that you have a refusal. Reverse up far enough so you can take a second attempt but this time with a bit more momentum. Risk Level: Low to medium. Approaching too slow will increase refusal and might cause stuck at the crest. Approaching with excessive speed might damage the bumpers or cause a vehicle to jump. Apply gentle throttle and slowly increase after learning. Take note that every dune is different and each approach will need to be made slightly different in terms of speed. Associated Risks: If you approach the dune too fast, more likely you will cause the bumper damage because your reaction time will be reduced substantially at very high speed. 2) Side-Sloping Carnity Offroad Level: Fewbie and upwards Description This technique is very fun and addictive, but it needs to be executed with a clear mind and a good experience on the behavior of the car. That is the main reason why this technique is only used from Fewbie level onwards. It is very critical to understand how gravity works and as we always says: " DO NOT FIGHT GRAVITY ". this applies to this technique most of all. When you approach a dune that you want to side-slope on, you need to carry enough momentum to get you through. This does not necessarily mean FULL throttle, because that depends on the type of dune. As soon as your car is on an incline, it will have the natural tendency to try to come down. The more momentum you carry, the further you will get. It is extremely important that you do not fight this by going higher up the dune at that point, but to steer down in a smooth way. Braking at this point is also very dangerous. While doing side sloping try to choose smooth path as possible and avoid stepping on rock, bushes or bumps that can bounce you and disturb the whole balance and tip you off or result in dangerous fish-tailing or tire pop-out at high speed. EVERY MOVEMENT OR ACTION YOU DO WHILE SLIDE-SLOPING NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A SMOOTH WAY, SUDDEN BRAKING OR EXTREME STEERING CAN LEAD TO ROLL-OVERS. Best practice: Always visually mark the entry and exit of the dune that you wish to do side sloping on. Stick to the initial plan as far as possible and exit safely. If you are new to this, then watch and observe how others have done before and try to replicate that as much as you can. The best thing to keep in mind is to think about "HALF MOONS" What i mean with that is that you should never make 90Β° turns during any kinds of these activities, but make smooth half moons during approaching dunes or crossing them. Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted ! Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more than 4 inch of OEM stock height then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less, and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions. 3) Criss-Crossing Carnity Offroad Level: Fewbie and upwards Description Criss-crossing is the art of riding the ridge of the dune and crossing over to the other side. Also here it is vital to understand that the approach towards the ridge, as well as the crossing over needs to be done in a smooth, half moon way. So basically you approach the dune along the length, you can stay on the ridge for as long as you want, but don't lose momentum at this point, or you will be crested lengthwise in the exact middle. Now the trick is to choose the right point at which you cross towards the other side. This feels scary at the beginning, but soon you will get the hang of it, and cross ridges without panicking at all. Make the criss-cross movement again in a half-moon method as seen below. Below picture shows the right and wrong way to criss-cross a dune. On the left side you will see that the approach is smooth and as soon as you cross over to the other side you gently steer down. Braking at this point is again very dangerous. In the right-side scenario, the angle of approach is very sharp, and during higher speeds this can result in a roll-over. EVERY MOVEMENT OR ACTION YOU DO WHILE CRISS-CROSSING NEEDS TO BE DONE IN A SMOOTH WAY, SUDDEN BRAKING OR EXTREME STEERING CAN LEAD TO ROLL-OVERS. Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted ! Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more then 4 inch of OEM stock height, then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions. 4) Hill Climbing While this technique is not immediately necessary to cross dunes, climbing a mighty big dune will bring some fun and adrenaline in the equation. At first, you might feel intimidated and not sure if your car can handle this. With the right techniques at hand you can at least make a safe attempt and see how far you can get. This technique can be practiced from Newbie level onwards on small hills, and later you will learn to approach taller dunes from Fewbie level and up. Again it is extremely important to make a smooth "half-moon" circle at the top. If you run out of momentum and come to a standstill, DO NOT attempt to make a turn, but put your car in 4LO, and slowly reverse down the dune while keeping your wheels straight. The low gearing will help you in keeping that slow pace. As you begin to learn this, it's always advisable to make a smaller U-Turn to learn how your car reacts and how your mind reacts when you take the first turn on top of dune. This needs to be done with confidence and without any doubt or fear, so that you don't brake on top and do the complete U-Turn without braking and in a very smooth manner. Practicing on small U-Turn will build your confidence and after 5-10 small U-Turn attempt you can try higher and higher by understanding your vehicle dynamics and limitations. Risk Level: Medium. With proper training and guidance you can eliminate the risk of a roll-over for 95%, but one should always be aware of the risks involved and take all measures possible to minimize these. Keep both hands at the steering wheel and your full attention on the view ahead. Do not get distracted ! Associated Risks: If your vehicle is lifted more than 4 inch above OEM stock height, then your 4x4 center of gravity will be less and this will increase the risk of roll-over or flip by 50%. Same goes for bouncy (non-standard/rated) suspensions. Safety of all offroad enthusiasts is the most important thing. This is an extreme hobby that brings confidence, thrills, and people together as a family. We can only do whatever we can to make all safety instructions clear and concise but in end it's up to the offroader behavior to understand all risk and associated risk involve and enjoy safely. Open for any questions or comments !
    1 point
  22. This drive is organized in full compliance with the COVID19 guidelines. We expect every member that joins this drive to go through below information and strictly follow these guidelines in order not to jeopardize someone's health, and to ensure we can keep organizing these drives safely. MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: COVID19 Precautions MUST READ AND TOTALLY AGREE: BAN POST Two Way Radio Guidelines Every Off-roader brings his own radio, programmed to the frequencies described in below advice topic. We will not share spare radios or program your radio on the drive. If you need assistance in programming the radio, post a topic on the Carnity website with your questions and we will help you out. Make sure your radio is fully charged. It will be your only way of communication while driving. Before buying, please carefully read below advice so you are informed properly on which model / cost / shops... No radio = No drive. It is an essential tool and you should make sure you bring it on every drive and learn/practice how to use it. Drive Details Level: Intermediate Level and Above When: 27 April 2021, Tuesday. Meeting time: 3:00 PM (SHARP - Without any exceptions) Action Plan: A medium to long range drive, depending on the final exit point, taking us from the red sand bowls east of Margham, in a westerly direction, to the long cordons (and a few bowls) of white sand between Lisaili and Solar Park, across from the Dubai-Al Ain Road. We'll keep on driving until dark, with the pylon track running along the Lisaili dunes an easy exit point, at any time. Another blitz of the Carnity Long Range Patrol unit. Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hHJCPBDpXSkNxAGM8 Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), face mask, rubber gloves, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Approximate finish time: 7:00PM THIS IS A COMPRESSOR ONLY DRIVE. WE WILL STARTING AND ENDING THE DRIVE AT THE SAME POINT, WHICH IS NOT CLOSE TO AN AIR LINE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A COMPRESSOR, PLEASE DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS DRIVE. IF YOU ARRIVE AND HAVE NO COMPRESSOR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO JOIN THE DRIVE. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE: Limited to 8 Intermediates and above drivers. RSVP will close on Monday - 9 AM. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join, please mention your name on the drive thread to add on the waiting list. Latecomers will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Members without RSVP will be returned back - without ANY EXCEPTIONS. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE BELOW CALENDAR
    1 point
  23. Dear Dear @Darren Brooke, we share the same frustration tonight, both awake and disappointed for not being able to join the drive.. While the others are (hopefully) asleep, getting a good rest for tomorrow's fun. But don't worry, I have ambitious plans for midweek drives in the foreseeable future.. You'll have plenty of chances... πŸ˜‰
    1 point
  24. I have made a template to track individuals drive details on excel, if you have better template kindly share. CARNITY DRIVE DETAILS TEMPLATE.xlsx
    1 point
  25. Thanks @Chaitanya D, - My car : Pajero - 7 Seater - 3.8 - Just learning by doing, never took any course - Yes, I have both recovery points
    1 point
  26. This is brilliant, i just searched "bike tail light" and got 2 bundled as a pair. Visible enough for car behind to guesstimate the distance from front 😊 Thanks @Chaitanya D for this tip πŸ‘πŸ» Photo of non-blinking setting: Video of blinking mode in the dark:
    1 point
  27. @PaoloMaraziti congratulations, well done. Love your drive videos with awesome music
    1 point
  28. 1 point
  29. Mirrorless camera lens options are very expensive and limited right?
    1 point
  30. Thank you @Shehab Alawadhi for sharing the same. I think many of us never changed his tyres with the spare one, and might have difficulty to do that for the first time. From what I saw, was telling my son, we should try to take our spare to learn how does it work in case required. And I think all who has never done it as well. Take care
    1 point
  31. @Lakshmi Narasimhan Canon's menu system is easy to understand and change fast. Nikon's menu system is very cumbersome and sometimes I find it difficult to change settings from an array of menu's. Maybe because I'm used to Canon system. I find the canon color science more appealing. If you shell out a little more money you can buy a Canon 6d Mark 2. I think they have reduced the prices of this camera so much as they might shelf this model soon. Its a good full frame camera and you can use Magic Lantern software to tweak up the Canon capabilities. The only problem is you can only use the full frame EF lenses which are more expensive than the APS - C EFS lenses. The pictures this 6D Mark 2 takes is almost on par with their 5D series. Even Canon 800 D is an amazing camera.
    1 point
  32. Alright. So update. 1 I figured out that my rim was dented at one of @Ale Vallecchi drives that’s why when I went under 23 or 22 psi I would leak air. Anyway I got that fixed. 2 I changed all my lug nuts to new ones. 3 So apparently I did have all my tools to take my spare down however I didn’t know how to use them (yes embarrassing as an intermediate driver 😳) I learned how to take my tire down. The rod I was using was correct however we were using the wrong end of it. 4 I figured out I can drive my car with 3 wheels at 11 and one at 25. Cool thing to know πŸ˜‚ 5 Thank you @Lorenzo Candelpergher for the drive (although short for me) and thank you everyone else with trying to help and being patient with me. See you all soon inshallah!
    1 point
  33. Hi Ehab, If everyone is at Fewbie level it can be considered, however, I am rather disappointed that you do not believe that even at newbie level my leading would not make the trip the perfect start for the weekend. πŸ˜‰
    1 point
  34. @Anish S, @Ale Vallecchi, @Mukundan Nair, @Joe Biju Joseph, @Batuhan Kulac, @luis mantecon, @Humayun Ghias, Please find attached video recording of the drive.
    1 point
  35. 1 point
  36. What Fredy mentioning is the cleaning after every drive will soon become a headache. I too tried and given up after a couple of months. Once I forgot to clean for few drives and that tear off the filter and K&N sent me free replacement (great) but month later my engine died. Possibly (I think) due to sand entering the system and causing all the damage due to my ignorance of not cleaning it after every drive. You have to take home the filter to clean under running water with the K&N detergent and let it air dry for few hours to oil again. Quite an overhead for free flow air filter tbh.
    1 point
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