Srikumar

Congrats @Franco Swart

wonderful @Javier Lucero well deserved. Yes, now that you have become Fewbie you need to speeden up the signing in on drives as it gets tougher from here on. 😂

Congrats @Anish S it was nice meeting you yesterday. Well done

Great. I will WhatsApp you some nice.play areas tomorrow

@Lorenzo Candelpergher we can try it on the Sweihan drive. What time is better, just after sunrise or closer to 8 am. Will try to scout some nice dunes where we can try to shoot. With the well spaced out dunes of Sweihan we might get some good footage, Maybe then I can share with you the route and you can see if drones are allowed in those areas.

TRIP REPORT After the excellent Absolute Newbie drive, I was looking for a nice quick Newbie drive starting at the back side of Qudra. The idea was to hit the long range dunes before sunset and then drive along the smaller dunes under the guidance of our light. Almost everyone made it on time, and after a quick briefing we headed into the desert. How fast Dubai construction takes place is evident by the fact that the entry point which was accessible the previous Friday was blocked off and we had to find an alternative route to enter the desert. A strong mix of Newbies and Fewbies let me push the pace a bit in some of the medium range dunes and we all got plenty of opportunity to do side slopping. As night fall approached, it gave us an opportunity to have a drive under a different challenge. With the reduced visibility one needs to up their concentration to the highest level so as to keep a clear visual of what the car in front has done. The space between the cars needs to be reduced. Everyone did extremely well and followed the tracks properly. @Veedooshee was my second lead and though I was driving with her for the first time, I was mighty impressed on the communications and drive skills. Well done. A big thanks to @Ashok chaturvedi who had the responsibility of sweep and did it very well to ensure that all the cars were moving properly in front of him and to keep announcing on the radio the status of the convoy movement. Special word of mention to newly promoted @Desert Dweller for supporting the drive and who was more than willing to the drivers as and when needed. Well done everyone and look forward to seeing you next week.

TRIP REPORT The Absolute Newbie drives are always pretty exciting as you meet a lot of first time offroaders who are looking to taste the wilderness. Makes you remember your first drive in the desert which is a mix of nervousness and excitement. As I reached the deflation point most of the cars had already reached which is the first sign of positivity. After helping out a few with the deflation and going through an Absolute Newbie briefing, we made our way through some flat tracks. As the drivers started understanding some basic throttle and steering control, I slowly increased the level and started doing small U-turns and sideys on the medium range dunes of Qudra. @Nihal17 was my second lead and he did a very good job of keeping a clear communication and listening to my instructions from time to time.. Well done buddy. @Ranjan Das joined us with the LR Discovery, and though the shape has changed over the years, its still a capable beast with a lot of power and that showed in the manner in which he danced through the dunes and some of the cross tracks. @Arda Yagcioglu had a LR2, and though the car seems innocuous at times, the i6 engine gives it a lot of power to get through most of the places. Nicely done. @Mahmoud_Alhamed joined us with Pathfinder 2007 and I hardly heard anything on the radio which is an indication that he had a smooth sailing through all the dunes. We then had 3 Pajeros @manoj nair @Abhilash Nair and @Mohamed Abo ElKomsan who all drove very well, but unfortunately had the hot transmission light coming on from time to time. Please check the transmission fluid and get that changed as a first step. If already done recently, then have a couple of more drives and see if the problem is persisting. If it continues you might need to install a fan in front of the transmission cooler. @Haitham Hasan had the monster truck of the convoy, a Raptor 6.2 litre. This is one of the few trucks that has been built specifically for offroading, with a proper suspension setup and a beast of an engine. Having said that its a very long wheel base and can fishtail quite a bit, and thats where the learning has to to come. @Goutam and @Karthik Krishnakumar were the yellow Wrangler twins at the back of the convoy. Though initially hesitant on how much to push the car, they slowly started learning and towards the end of the drive one could see the increase in their confidence level. Finally, a big shout out to @Jeepie for supporting this drive and helping out at every stage of the drive, from the deflation to the recoveries. Much appreciate the support you had provided. Moving forward you all will be joining the Newbie drives and not an Absolute Newbie drive. Drives are announced every Sunday at 11 am, and they go live on Sunday at 7 pm. Due to the high demand, these drives get full in about 10 minutes, so please be online at 7 pm to book your spot. For the next drives, please bring along a deflator, pressure gauge, flag and radio as a minimum. Learn to deflate your tires and checking them precisely Learn to fix a flag on your car Learn to program and fully charge your radio Also like I mentioned during the debriefing, join the Carnity Whatsapp Drive Notification to get the latest updates on the drives, so that you can RSVP on time for the next weekend's drive. Please have a look at below topic which describes the tools needed for every level: Please have a look at below grading structure that explains various off-road levels: See you next weekend on the sand. Till then take care and drive safe.

@Nivin as Asif bhai mentioned if the Ghantoot is not available on the day of the drive, try booking through the SEHA app. I saw this afternoon and slots are available in Dubai on Sept 30th afternoon. The test can be done done max 48 hours prior to entry in Abu Dhabi.

DRIVE RSVP IS CLOSED Convoy Numbering Vehicle Position Srikumar XJ Lead Nihal Wrangler 2 Ranjan Das LR Discovery 3 Arda Yagcioglu LR2 4 Mahmoud_Alhamed Nissan Pahtfinder 2007 5 Manoj Nair Pajero 6 Mohamed Abo ElKomsan Pajero 7 Abhilash Nair Pajero 8 Haitham Hasan Ford Raptor 9 Goutam Wrangler 10 Jeepie Wrangler TJ Sweep See you tomorrow at 5:00 AM sharp.

DRIVE RSVP CLOSED Convoy Numbering Vehicle Position Srikumar XJ Lead Veedooshee Pajero Second Lead Hardik Mody Monterro 3 RaYan E Pajero 4 Probir Mukherjee LC 5 Anand Nataraj Xterra 6 Desert Dweller Xterra CF Yusuf Esaf Patrol Y62 8 Sinol Pajero 9 Tamas Hoffmann Pajero 10 jodha singh shekhawat Xterra 11 VipinShetty JGC 12 Onlyjunaid Wrangler 13 Ashok chaturvedi Pajero Sweep We shall be using Carnity Channel 2. See you tomorrow at 4:30 PM sharp.

@Nihal17 @manoj nair @Abhilash Nair @Mahmoud_Alhamed @Ranjan Das @Goutam @Haitham Hasan @Arda Yagcioglu @Mohamed Abo ElKomsan As we are just about 12 hours from the start of the drive, here is a brief of what we plan to do tomorrow: PREPARATION FOR THE DRIVE AND WHAT TO EXPECT 1) Please ensure that you reach the meeting point on time, i.e., 5:00 AM sharp. If you are late, you would be left behind. 2) Convoy numbering would be posted today evening. 3) The senior members on the drive are me and @Jeepie (Marjan). 4) Please spend 15 minutes of undivided attention to go through the Absolute Newbie briefing Video. This is absolutely necessary for the safety of you and your vehicle before your first offroad adventure. 5) For those who have radios, you can program them to the Carnity Frequency using the guidelines provided in the below post. If you dont have a radio, we shall provide you with a spare radio during the drive. We will be using Carnity Channel 2 tomorrow. (446.03125 Mhz). The instructions to program the radio are provided in the below post 6) All traction controls, ABS and Air bags need to be switched off. If it requires pulling the fuse, please do the needful. Incase of any queries you can always ask the senior members before the drive or better still, post your queries on this drive post and we would assist. 7) Deflate to 15 psi. Incase if you have any difficulties you can approach the senior members before the drive who would assist you. 8) Feel free to ask questions at any time. We shall be starting the drive close to Hammari Well at Qudra, and enter the desert through some nice easy tracks and dunes so that you can get familiar with your vehicle. As the convoy's confidence increases I shall be gradually increasing the level of the drive always keeping in mind everyone's comfort level. We will be driving for about 3 hours practicing driving in sand, proper steering control, crossing some dunes, and getting you and your vehicle accustomed to off-roading in general. By 09:00 am we will be heading out towards the Qudra parking, where you can inflate the tyres with your compressor or at the Last Exit gas station.

Congrats @Nivin, you are a team player and someone that we can always rely on. Well done and enjoy your new offroad rank.

I was browsing through some offroad content and came across this epic recovery that happened recently at the top of a bike trail in the US which had deep ravines on either side. What the driver was thinking to go up there alone is another question. The owner had to abandon the vehicle, and after about 36 hours a bunch of offroaders helped do the recovery anchoring the car on the other side. The video of the recovery is there in the below link https://www.thedrive.com/news/36696/that-infamous-jeep-wrangler-stuck-on-a-dangerous-bike-trail-has-been-saved We had a similar recovery at Qudra about 6 months back when a car was stuck on a side slope with the hard rock formation below it. The only way to recover the vehicle was to anchor the vehicle from the top of the dune on the left side while slowly pulling it from the back. In our drive, i think @Gaurav had prevented the car from sliding by anchoring the left front wheel with the car at the top.

Hi Manoj, at the moment you are waitlist #2. If there is any dropout this thread would be updated.

Thanks for keeping us informed. @VipinShetty your name has been added to the drive list. Please confirm your participation. @Farook Veettil you are Waitlist #1

@Anand Nataraj you have been added on the drive list. Please confirm your attendance.

@Nihal17 @Mahmoud ALhamed @Ranjan Das @Abhilash Nair please share the following information : - Please share your vehicle details - Make, Model, Year. - Do you have any prior off-road experience? - Confirm your vehicle has front and rear tow hooks / eyelets. Also, please ensure that you go through the Absolute Newbie Briefing Video posted in the original drive post. This is important for the safety of you as well as your vehicle.

1. There was an article a couple of months ago that kids below the age of 12 don't need to take the COVID test to enter Abu Dhabi. But the rules might have changed so I am not sure. 2. We are all doing drives because there are no symptoms, but in case the test is positive and you are asymptomatic I presume you will most probably have to be in quarantine in Dubai. That's why they say sometimes ignorance is bliss. 😁

@Chaitanya D hope you have registered for the test.

The wrong sized battery was installed by the previous owner. I don't think it was due to wrong size battery as else I would have noticed this problem in the first 6 months of ownership. It more is a case of a bad battery.

Welcome to the Offroad Life.

@Lorenzo Candelpergher hope you have booked the slot for the DPI test.

UPDATE #2 After the last update in June, the car started fine on first attempts for a month or so. After that it would take always 3-4 attempts to start the car. Tried it with the duplicate key but to no avail, the problem still persisted. A few days ago, my battery died and I got it replaced. At the same time it was noticed that the battery was not of the right size, so we changed it to a correct sized Amaron Battery. The issue of not starting on the first attempt has completely disappeared. Looks like it was a case of a faulty battery like @Frederic suggested.

Hi Martin, some of the best sands are in your part of town. We are starting off the drives to see how it goes and if successful, we should be starting multiple level drives in Abu Dhabi very soon. So look forward to seeing you very soon. @andy_macdxb I really appreciate and understand your enthusiasm but this would be an Intermediate level drive. We shall be having our regular Fewbie level drives on 2nd October in Dubai and Sharjah as per the announcements on 27th Sept (Sunday). So you can sign up once those drives go live. Furthermore, seeing how smooth the entire COVID19 testing process is for all the drivers, we might plan multiple level drives in Abu Dhabi very soon. The idea behind announcing this drive approx two weeks in advance is, so that the drivers can book the slots for the DPI / PCR test.

Thanks for the info. And can this be done in all the centers that do the PCR?