Frederic

Great topic @Looper and i knew when i took up this issue with you that you were gonna be prepared I find the folder structure GaiaGPS uses a bit awkward and many hardcore GaiaGPS users are now stepping over to Caltopo, which i've been testing for a while now and really impressed by their web browser are route planning, but the mobile version is not yet up to the mark in my opinion. Anyways, what i do is make a folder for each emirate, and then put my tracks in that folder based on where i've driven. That way i can export for example that entire folder (Dubai by example) into one single .gpx file (including all the waypoints associated with that). This method works well in Gaia, but whenever i import a track someone else had sent me, it creates its own folder, which i do not want, and have to move this folder into the folder of the right emirate. Colour coding of tracks is a good idea. I do not use any colour coding on my tracks, but i do for my waypoints: 1. Red waypoints are entry and exit points. 2. Yellow waypoints are landmarks. 3. Purple waypoints are bowls and play areas I also recommend to keep the "best" version of a certain area you have done, and delete or archive/hide all the rest. If not, within 1 year your Gaiagps app will look like a spiderweb and will become extremely frustrating to use while leading. Naming is also important. I use the following example: SHJ-Badayer-FB-FNU (Sharjah Emirate, Badayer Area,Fewbie Level,my name code) That way, if you use the alphabetic filter in Gaia, all your tracks from SHJ will be all nicely lined up.

Double party in one day !! Well done !!

Welcome to the Off-Road Hall of Fame, a place where we celebrate the fearless, daring, and ingenious legends of the off-road world. This is the home of the trendsetters who have pushed the limits of off-road driving, supporting, and inspiring all types of adventurers. Off-road driving is not just a hobby, it's a way of life. It requires a rare combination of skill, bravery, and respect for the great outdoors. From conquering the tallest dune to racing through the sands, and wadis to traversing long distances, off-roading comes in various forms that demand unique skills, patience and above all - great teamwork. Only a few have gone above and beyond, leaving their mark on the off-road universe, and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps. These heroes have not just driven off-road but have really defined the true meaning of off-road community while taking the sport to new heights. Whether you are an experienced off-roader or just starting, we invite you to join us as we explore the stories and legacies of the off-road greats who have earned their rightful place in the Off-Road Hall of Fame. This is a place where we take pride in their achievements and honor their spirit of adventure. So, fasten your seatbelts, hold tight, and let's embark on a journey of exhilaration, inspiration, and honor in the Off-Road Hall of Fame. Period: Jan - March 2023 Drives in the spotlight Our Master of Innovation, @Ale Vallecchi again surprised us with a perfect themed drive! Starting with a relaxing Newbie level drive, and ending with a professional Yoga session in Al Qudra, guided by Paola ! https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=1x87v6muqc25j&utm_content=i0iff Keep innovating Ale! Members in the spotlight @Ishak @Bjoern @Tharun Kumar V and @Santoso Marjuki The support shown by these individuals during the broken-down car recovery in Liwa crossing has been nothing short of incredible. Their tireless efforts and unwavering commitment to helping their fellow off-roaders are truly inspiring. Their selflessness and willingness to go above and beyond did not go unnoticed. In fact, they even sacrificed their own plans for the day to ensure that their fellow off-roaders were taken care of. This level of camaraderie and support is what makes this off-roading community so special. We are all grateful for their presence and the invaluable support they have provided. Well done Ishak, Bjoern, Tharun and Santoso! @Benjamin It is truly remarkable to see how Benjamin has flourished as a passionate offroader with our club. Despite being one of the youngest members of our family, he has demonstrated a level of maturity and teamwork that is truly impressive. Benjamin's teamwork skills are beyond his years, and he consistently demonstrates a willingness to help and support his fellow offroaders in any way he can. We are fortunate to have Benjamin as a member of our offroading family. Keep it up, Benjamin! Lead Champions Congratulations @Ale Vallecchi for having organized 11 drives this quarter! 3 Newbie Drives 4 Fewbie Drives 4 Fewbie Plus Drives Congratulations @JeromeFJ for having organized 9 drives this quarter! 5 Fewbie Drives 2 Fewbie Plus Drives 2 Intermediate Drives Support Champions Congratulations @Davie Chasefor having supported 11 drives in this quarter! Congratulations @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler for having supported 8 drives this quarter! Your dedication is an admirable quality that is truly valued and appreciated. Your unwavering passion for off-roading has not gone unnoticed, and it is an inspiration to those around you today. We thank you and look forward to seeing the many great things you will achieve in the future.

Wishing you a blessed and healthy year @Gaurav ! Thank you for leading the path for all of us and giving us the best offroad community of the UAE !!

DRIVE DESCRIPTION The Batayeh area, scattered with vegetation, farms, and lots of animals around, is not a dunebashing area. However it's scenic and offers lots of tight and difficult to maneuver dunes, and with the sand getting softer now will be a nice shovel practice ground. Take a nice breakfast before joining so you can help shoveling We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Off-road Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities DRIVE DETAILS Level: Fewbie and above When: 29 April 2023, Saturday Meeting time: 6:00 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: Dropped pin: https://goo.gl/maps/PDw8poBkWbYXBK6p8 Approximate finish time: 10:00 AM 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), smiles, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Mandatory off-road gears: Tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on FRIDAY - 12 PM If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy 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 BELOW CALENDAR

Eid Mubarak to all !

Haven’t heard of any Toyotas suffering from overheating. Some vehicles are indeed prone to it: 1. Gen4 Pajero and especially LWB are a bit sensitive to overheating transmission. Driving in tiptronic / manual helps. 2. Some American models from what I recollect. Not sure if true. 3. Older Jeeps like TJ, XJ, and JK, they run pretty hot. My recommendation is to keep an eye on the temperature gauges throughout the drive. If you don’t see any significant temp increase then you’re fine as is.

Great news @KAMALIO ! Well done !

Well done @Bashar Beasha !!

Congrats !!

@Benjamin thats the right spirit and totally agree with you. @Chris Wing @Patrick van der Loo @Gary F @Stumpy Paj @Krishna R @Joji varghese @Joseph Raju @Mario Cornejo @Mohamad Anwer @Gurcharan Mehta Today was a drive where the ghosts plagued us from the start. We had our fair part of issues throughout the drive, and when Joseph his Patrol decided to take some rest after overheating, we had to put all heads together to get the car pulled out of the desert. A massive hats off to @Zed and @Chris Wingfor coordinating this mission while I could focus on finding a smooth track out. Great teamwork and help from everyone involved in fixing 2 popouts and still we all kept the smile and soldiered on. Without teamwork this would have been a disaster to get that car out, but today showed that we can pull off anything if we all work together so I thank you all ! There will be more drives where we’ll be able to roar the engines. Until then let’s keep the Carnity flag high ! see you soon in the sands !!

Hahaha now I realize why they call it Nissan Petrol ⛽️ We can perhaps take that Cafu tanker with us in the sand. PS I’m the unlucky one with Automatic Transmission and LWB, but alas it came with the Sub tank 😅

Oops sorry to hear that buddy, keep us posted on the root cause. We can all learn from it.

RSVP IS NOW CLOSED Good morning ! @Chris Wing@Patrick van der Loo@Gary F@Benjamin@Stumpy Paj@Krishna R@Joji varghese@Joseph Raju@Mario Cornejo@Mohamad Anwer@Gurcharan Mehta With the temps slowly rising every day, it will be important to reach on time and get briefed swiftly so we can take max advantage of the terrain ahead of us. This is a very well-known area among off-roaders, so let's hope we won't be hindered by too many cross tracks (might be calmer now with Ramadan). From our meeting point, we will head North and pass by the larger dunes on our way. Superbowl might be on our list (not sure) and from there we can head East and pay a visit to Ghost Village Al Madam. Throughout the drive tomorrow, keep an eye on the temperature gauge and do let us know if you spot potential overheating issues. The coming months this will be a critical topic for many cars, so let's start paying attention rather sooner than later. We will be using Channel 3 - 446.056 Mhz. See you all tomorrow morning!

Safe travels to the mystical Saudi Arabia, where i've lived for 2.5 years around 10 years back but never found the time to explore properly. The fact my FJ was a 2WD model didnt help either 😁 Keep us posted on your adventures ! There some interesting landmarks and places to visit:

What amazing news @Ale Vallecchi ! You’ve been a trailblazer and inspiration for many of us in the club and deserve this entirely ! Keep surfing the dunes in your smooth flowing style as only you can do !

Hi @Cristian during Ramadan there are on average always less drives being booked, as this is a holy month where many members and trip leads are spending more time with the family. I am sure you understand this.

Hi @Jithin BenjaminAl Futtaim usually tries to sell these cars at a premium but it is worth it because of the 1Y warranty. How thorough the pre-inspection is from Al Futtaim when they buy this vehicle is a bit of a question. I don't think there shoud be serious issues with a car that's only around 4 years old, but you should definitely research where the car came from (Al Futtaim does this), and look at the maintenance history of the vehicle. If the car has been serviced under a dealership you can perhaps approach that dealership and request to see if all needed maintenance was done. With the VIN number at hand, you can also do a quick search to see if the car has been involved in an accident:

well done @Xavi Moyano!!

Congrats @Andrei S !!

Well done @AlexM !!

What a convoy ! @Rob S @Bjoern @AlexM@Jona@Richard Franks @Zed@Mahmoud Taha@Looper We set off in the shadows of the chimney near Solar Park Dubai, and the first 30mins was just ploughing our way through the grass and vegetation. Once we passed this area, we entered Little Sweihan from the West side near the military fence and started navigating the tight rolling dunes. We found soft sand but everyone pushed their way through and soon we were in Faqa. More vegetation was found on our way and we were getting hungry for some nice open dunes where we could stretch our legs. We played around a bit in Faqah, but decided to cross the border into Al Ajban territory, which consisted of a combo of technical dunes and once we came closer to Nahel we found 1 big bowl where we had our fill. After crossing the E20, we took some rest nearby the Nahel shops and @Zed did a quick pitstop repair of the Jeep as it was having a bit of a tantrum. (thats what Jeeps do i was told)... After our lunch/pitstop, we dashed on to North of Sweihan where finally the nice big dunes were being revealed. To keep the adrenaline flowing we ramped up the pace and flew through it like a bunch of hungry hyena's. We finally exited at the "Africa" entry point after having completed 150kms through the desert. Nicely on time and everyone in one piece. I thank you all heartfully for joining on this trip ! https://www.relive.cc/view/vWqB3DQ4pYv