Leaderboard

Dear @Hisham Masaad @munkybizness @Aisha S @Abdul Rafay-S @Looper @S Jacob @Naveen Raj, It was a great pleasure to lead the drive with such a nice convoy where everyone performed very well given the challenges of the terrain and the pace. I was expecting and prepared for lots of refusal and stuck which actually did not happen and instead i got most of the refusal and stuck 😜. It was great to see the team spirit and i really like the fact that you were not shy at all to get your shovel and offered to help. I am very thankful to @Hisham Masaad, under his assistance and support all recoveries were done within minutes. It was reassuring having @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ in the drive and thank you for your help. @Naveen Raj had the most challenging job as second lead on this drive which he did successfully by staying focussed all the time and taking necessary action whenever need. Well done and i am even more impressed knowing that your Pajero actually has a 3.0L engine. @munkybizness and @Looper, other than being fantastic drivers and team players, thank you so much for making such a descriptive drive report and statistics covering the trip. I really appreciated it👏.. Looking forward to see you in another drive, take care.

Receiving your report @Anish Snow, reminded me that I did not post any thing about the drive. And after all what said, I have nothing more to add, except thank you very much for the drive, and thank you @Naveen Raj @S Jacob @Aisha S @munkybizness @Abdul Rafay-S @Looper @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQfor joining and supporting. As I mentioned during exiting the drive, all has done a fantastic job, driving and supporting. Look forward to see you again in sand

@munkybizness for the best sound performance , do not forget to add sound deadening material on the inner sides of doors - which inturn make the door compartment in effect a sound box rather than a rattle box Enjoy and have fun

Congrats @Damien Ranjit. Well done

Curved is always better to squeeze flood and spot in one bar.

I've been told the same and have seen already a couple more Y61s with Squadron Pros installed as fog lights. In my case I've used them only while driving on sand, the spread and intensity are just right. The headlamps is another story, the bulbs I installed deliver a clear white light, which I use only as low beam while on the road. Check this chart from Philips https://www.philips.ae/c-e/au/car-lights/headlight-bulbs/led-headlight-bulb. You can find the LED bulbs in any car accessory shop, Philips or any other brand, they will install them on the spot for you.

Hi, for what it helps, this is what I did in my Y61: replaced the stock fog lights with Baja Design Squadron Pro Round, with amber lenses to help cut through dust and fog (https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/squadron-r-pro-led-wide-cornering-amber.asp), and I replaced the headlight bulbs with LED lights. This set up so far provides a good light source whilst driving. I had four X-Vision flood lights mounted in the bumper, but have now removed them as I suspect they were blocking airflow into the cooling systems. Two of those X-Vision were relocated as cornering lights, but I feel amber lights will work better. In future I plan to have installed STP heat shield, which I understand doubles as sound proofing. *** Edit: just added two pictures so you can see the lights. The four smaller white lights in the bumper were removed for the same reason @Gaurav mentioned in his comment.

For many offroaders, navigation looks like a scary thing, and finding your way in the desert used to be a daunting task with old obsolete maps, navigation with sun or stars, and many other old tricks of crossing the deserts. Until 5-6 years ago, companies like TomTom and Garmin were ruling the navigation software and hardware, until our phones became smarter and smarter, and nowadays there are tons of free or paid navigation software programs available which are tailored for hiking, offroading, cycling, or other outdoor activities where you would like to record your tracks. In this post i will give some basic essential advice on how to get started with navigating by using GaiaGPS, which is an amazing app that allows you to: 1) Create routes at home via your desktop/tablet through the GaiaGPS website. 2) Use different types of maps like topographic maps, sattelite maps, to find your perfect route you'd like to explore. 3) Save and manage all your tracks, waypoints, areas. 4) Automatically sync all this data with the GaiaGPS Mobile App that is being used to record your track or follow the route you have created beforehand. 1) Registering for GaiaGPS account https://www.gaiagps.com/membership/ You can choose for a FREE account, which works fine for basic topographic and sattelite maps, but will not allow to use them offline. The PREMIUM membership is recommended for around 3.3 USD per month. Once you have become a member, you can head over to Gaiagps.com, login with your account name, and have a look at the basic functionalities. I've posted a short video below that gives a small demo on how to use the GaiaGPS website functionalities. As you can see in the screen, there are many tracks i've recorded with my phone that remain saved in the website. You can remove these, or hide them. The red zones i have marked are called "areas" where you can identify tricky areas that you would like to avoid. They will appear on your phone app as well so you can easily avoid them. Waypoints Waypoint, or pins, could be points of interest, landmarks, entry and exit points, or any place where you want to mark the location and save for later reference. They will appear as a "pin" on your map. You can assign a color to them as you like. This might be useful as you can categorize them. Next to the classic PIN icon, you can choose different other ones, like fences, skulls, forest, or anything that will help you in identifying the waypoint. Sattelite Images Having crisp detail in the sattelite images you are looking, is essential so you can create a route which focuses on the nice bigger dunes instead of the small technical or bushy areas. Gaia comes standard with the Mapbox "Sattelite with Labels" Imagery which is not bad, but the best one i have found so far is the ESRI Sattelite Imagery Map. Below you will find some information on how to add custom maps. The map called "WORLD IMAGERY" in the Premium version is the same as the ESRI Sattelite Imagery Map. Which phone ? Gaia GPS will work on any smartphone that has a decent GPS antenna built-in. In my case i purchased a separate dedicated Android phone which is mounted in my car that i solely use for navigation. This allows me to keep using my own phone as backup device. That dedicated phone has the offline maps downloaded on it, so i do not need cellphone coverage (no sim card). App functionality On an Iphone, this is how the app looks like. The buttons like "RECORD" and "PICTURE" are customizable, and by keeping your finger on it you can select something else you would like to see on the home page. The Magnifying Glass allows you to enter coordinates. You can copy them from within Google Maps. this button toggles between full screen or normal screen. The crosshair button is very important. Click on it once and it will appear green and bring you to your live location and follow you while keeping NORTH up. Click on it again and another logo appears, looking like two reversed triangles. This is the mode that keeps your live location but constantly rotates the map based on your direction. You can experiment with both modes to see what suits you best. I like to stick to the first mode because it allows me to see in which compass direction i am heading. The + Button contains all your other useful functionalities, like adding a waypoint, creating a route, download an offline map, or create an area. Once you hit the record button, the app will start recording your track. Once you finish, click again on it and select "Finish Track" It will then be saved. (and also appear on your GaiaGPS website once you have synced). On the bottom, you can see your trip details, open the list of saved tracks, or go to your settings. Note: In the settings you can put your units/distances in miles or kilometers (whatever you prefer). You can also enable or disable the autosync function, but better to keep it on. So as soon as you have Wifi/Internet on your phone it will automatically sync your tracks between the app and your GaiaGPS account (website). These things will take a bit of practice, and i can recommend you to use your Gaia mobile app for a while on your daily commute, and experiment a bit with the settings until you have tailored it to your own needs. Exporting Maps Most navigation software use .gpx or .kml files which you can import in Google Earth / Maps or any other navigation program. On the GaiaGPS website, and also on the app you can choose to "export" your track. It will create a .GPX file that you can share with fellow offroaders or import in the Relive app Adding Custom Maps for the GaiaGps app users, the Google Maps like Satellite, Terrain, or Hybrid, are not standard built in, but can easily be added by using the GaiaGps website. This is the procedure to add for example Google Terrain. 1) While logged into Gaiagps.com, add a custom map source via TMS here: https://www.gaiagps.com/mapsource/add/ 2) Fill in this TMS URL to get Google Terrain: https://mt0.google.com/vt/lyrs=p&hl=en&x={x}&y={y}&z={z}&s=Ga 3) Give it the name "Google Terrain" 4) Set the Min and Max Zoom level on 4 and 19. 5) Click on "Add this Map Source" The next time you will login it will appear in your mobile app. Some other map links. To add them, follow the same steps as above: Google Maps: https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=r&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Satellite:https://www.google.cn/maps/vt?lyrs=s@189&gl=cn&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Satellite Hybrid:https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=y&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Terrain:https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=t&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} Google Roads:https://mt1.google.com/vt/lyrs=h&x={x}&y={y}&z={z} ESRI Sattelite Imagery:https://server.arcgisonline.com/ArcGIS/rest/services/World_Imagery/MapServer/tile/{z}/{y}/{x}

Congrats @Damien Ranjit. Well done!!

Thanks @Islam Soliman looking good for the weekend, not long now!!

Awesome! I love the purity of your Y61 🤩

My instagram is Abu_Tizou the pics will be on there once it’s done I’m sure and the suspension is on. . Feel free to follow

@munkybiznessthey fit I’m getting them put in Thursday with a couple of Baja design spots also

@Adam James congratulations !!

This is the one I am looking for be it day or night drive . It’s possible when you have a lead like @Anish S and a sweep looping when in need like @Looper 😄

wow - you will genuinely make the most of this investment knowing you are holding a library in true lossless quality. The ground Zero Amp with DSP is awesome and i just wish i went that route (it wasn't available in the store so guess what - they didn't even mention it as an option). Ground Zero was sourced locally (drop me a whatsapp and i'll share the supplier 0551092859). That said, it is painfully obvious in the UAE you only get advice and info on what they have ready to sell you... so this store is back to holding Rockford and Hertz so are pushing that (all are great however reinforces the value of you doing your own research!) My opinion - please wait for the headunit that you genuinely want... even if its 6 months on the stock feeding the amp etc... its better to just get it right vs changing multiple times or having any regrets, especially seeing the care you take to go lossless and research the right setup. @Frederic is genuinely the audio guru with competition grade setups in his youth so once he's back from holidays def catch some time with him to go through specs/designs. ps. for my sins i was a student in the late 90s so trance and apache indian is in my library but i can longer move as fast so tastes have changed to match my pace!

@munkybizness this is my cell 0554045278 feel free to what’s app me so I can send a short night clip so you can see how lights work in the dark , but there will be no strobing 🤣

@topgear I purchased the H4 size pro5000 there is an even brighter set, the pro9000k however I couldn’t find out if these are street legal in UAE so didn’t gamble. If they are, these would be a better option. 100% you will benefit from these when doing a night drive … all the advice given by the marshalls was spot on, in that if you are mid convoy you really don’t need additional lights … bumping up the weak stock headlights works perfect!

Thanks @Gaurav for bringing me into this conversation…. I now have stereo envy … Hey @munkybizness I have to say you are making the best first mods … audio! We spend longer on tarmac than the dunes and being able to enjoy our music makes every journey better! Apache Indian and trance music… I am personally grateful I am not your passenger 🤣 but that’s for a different thread (the Spotify play list discussion). I went the path of Ground Zero products (speakers and amp). These are not in the same pedigree of Hertz … and that’s why I have envy! You have put together a great set of options and the fact you have a sensible budget for sound deadening is testimony to good research! The y61 is basic by design and the sound deadening is critical! I decided against a subwoofer even though I love bass! So I went with the largest mid range component set up that would fit the door so put in 8” in the fronts and was only able to fit 4” in the rear! If you likewise will not have a sub, do consider sizing a pair of your speakers slightly larger to offer a nice level of bass. Also a 4 channel amp is ideal as if you add a sub later on a seperate amp is easy and recommended. a seperate GPS module is potentially overkill but not an expensive add and I have one in the FJ! That said I use the phone via CarPlay to run Gaia and never have lost signal … I don’t use it to navigate yet as am just following the car in front and blindly trust the marshalls 🤣 .. so if you are genuinely navigating yourself then I would add the gps module from garmin! Headunits, I wouldn’t have previously classed pioneer above alpine/kenwood/Sony for headunits .. I have typically considered them equals. However I didn’t spend time researching actual headunit as stuck with the built in unit (not out of choice). Wireless Apple CarPlay is desirable but if not an option a 500aed add on achieves the same (avoid Amazon options and I will share details if you need that later). I would avoid a headunit that project out of the dash for exactly what @Gaurav warned about - sand etc! When the weather improves and we drive with the window down, sand will get everywhere and it’s impact is real to our electronics etc.. I like your midrange option above- top end is wasted for our desert cruisers in my opinion. If you consider a larger component setup for the fronts to bring you a decent amount of bass without a sub! You have an enviable setup! As for lights … I personally decided to wait even longer and just changed the weak standard bulbs to some high powered philips ones and get a decent spread when in the middle of the convoy! I sneak in behind or in front of @Alex Raptor or @Lakshmi Narasimhan in any convoy and you are not short of light pollution … they both throw out 20-30k of lumins for fun!

Got it! Would a straight lightbar be enough, or is it better to put in a curved bar to follow the curvature of the bumper?

I did the same but for me there was no cutting involved. There was number plate bracket i removed it completely and stick number plate to the bumper. this is the switch panel. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BLB7F3G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you Thank you

Congrats @Damien Ranjit, another R51 on sands!

Congrats @Adam James

@Damien RanjitCongratulations!

Congrats @Damien Ranjit

Thanks mate

Congrats @Damien Ranjit

Congratulations @Damien Ranjit! You're going to be amazing in the Fewbie drives. See you there

Thanks @Anish S and @Hisham Masaad for another exciting drive today morning… Though I missed the high dunes and the play areas from our last week’s drive, this terrain threw in different set of challenges with inconsistent soft n hard patches and the vegetation (got the opportunity to field test my new bash plate)… the drive was a different learning experience.. @munkybizness: Excellent drive writeup… @Looper yes.. even i felt i shud hv steered it better and had better throttle control to avoid digging in, as I thought about it later.. anyways now hv a better hang of it, lesson learned for my next refusal opportunity….the SWB definitely offered the advantage of better pwr to weight ratio..

Thank you. Thank you.

Amazing! Please share photos of the final build. Are you putting the spots on the A-pillar as ditch shooters?

No need to give any lighting ideas as there is an array of info here! However as a fellow patrol owner I wouldn’t block the airflow to the vehicle. Winter will be fine but if your driving as much as I do now in the summer then you’ll notice it’ll be best not reduce the flow of air as on long hard drives the engine temp can increase, and you will need to take time out to reduce the temp as your driving.

btw to light up all these im using 4 way remote control switch panel. so no drilling required in dash or bulky switch panel sticking out of dash..

Got scared when accidentally did this on the highway 🤭 luckily no cups were around 🤪🤣

Talking about Strobes, @Frederic Pajero has LED bar on strobe setting. When I first drove his car and accidently switched on, I was scared that what did I do now.....!

Please invite us.

Congrats @Adam James!

Congrats @Damien Ranjit!

Well done @Adam James congratulations

As the events of this morning are still very fresh in my mind, it's easy to pen them down. Firstly, thank you @Anish S for taking over the convoy marshal duties in @Islam Soliman's absence. I hope your car is back on the sands back again soon! Anish, you were an amazing marshal today, and as @Hisham Masaadput it, in your exploratory duties you took on the most challenging parts yourself. I'm still in awe of what you accomplish with a 3.5l Pajero. It really highlights your immense skill as a driver. I have much to learn from you. My car glosses over many of my mistakes and experience gap and seeing you do what you do, inspires us to push ourselves further. Thank you for navigating us away from the most challenging terrain by taking it on yourself. In the process, you taught me how to do better recoveries. @Naveen Raj, you were an excellent SL continuing the pace through the convoy with @S Jacob & @Aisha S. I particularly had my eye on your driving line because like you, I too drive a LWB so it was a much better prediction on how I should approach the ridges and sharp corners (wherever I had visibility). @Aisha S, seeing your Wrangler float up dunes and take the sharpest corners with so much ease made me question why I have a LWB. You were a great driver to follow. And thank you for punctuating the drive wherever there were sharp dips. It saved my nose on many an occasion. @Hisham Masaad & @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ - having you in the convoy just lent so much confidence to me. Knowing the experience & desert wisdom you both collectively carry, I was always safe in the knowledge that if I ever did get stuck, I had an amazing crew beside me. And finally @Looper, I think it's time to ditch why your name is what it is. Keep it as it is but you're no longer looping. Thank you for riding sweep and keeping the back end so tight. Between the three of you (with @Abdul Rafay-S at the helm), my rear view mirror was witness to a collection of some glorious ridge riding and side sloping. All in all, thank you for a fun and momentum-filled drive. I thoroughly enjoyed driving with all of you, and I look forward to seeing you all on the sand again soon. I (my brother leaning out) took my camera out for a spin and I think there is some excellent footage that I can't wait to start sifting through

@Frederic I totally agree with you. Was wondering if we can have a training /demo on how to use the Gaia maps . I am sorry if my request is very naive but it would be great to learn from someone who has already mastered it.

So the Super premium version maybe will ride the dunes for us ? 😅

Hi @Frederic this is as ever a useful addition to the available info for drivers. Yes, I have a premuim edition of Gaia and 'invested' in this because there is a small element of added functionality - there's the ability to edit routes, overlay routes and if you're in North America it looks like it wil actually do the walking for you on the hikes.

@Frederic Your hard work as always been much appreciated. I purchased the app but for some reason they charged me 34.99GBP. I am still getting used to it and so far so good.