Jefy

14 minutes ago, Brette said:

If MMI and Baracudda close, you can become our official supplier from duty free for as long as they are open. 😅

That party is already long time over unfortunately, not allowed to bring anything in anymore for operating crew.

1 minute ago, Barry said:

I’m on an anime adventure at the minute. They released all the studio ghibli movies a couple of weeks ago so that’s been keeping me occupied. I really wish they would put bobs burgers on. Been getting really into it but it’s a pain in the ass trying to watch streams when the network throttles the connection half way through. 

Princess Mononoke and Porko Rosso as well??? 

7 minutes ago, Barry said:

 

Anyway, I’m ready for total lockdown. Plenty of beer and baked beans in the cupboard and Netflix subscription paid up to date. Bring it on. I could use a break from society. 

Beer and Netflix is a good combination for Rick and Morty, going to start from the first season for the 3rd time.

”lets get Swifty”

36 minutes ago, Shiju Manuel said:

Here in Ajman everything open, luckily we have the anti corona liquor supplier UNISAT and BARRACUDA near to us.

Sounds like heaven

8 minutes ago, Wrangeld said:

So today, I have learned that:

• My daughter cannot travel here to visit me at the end of the month ...no new visas after 17th March
• My gym is closed indefinitely as of ... well basically when I left it at 7am this morning
• All the pubs and night clubs have been closed down
• and ... the swimming pool at home has now been put into quaranteen until it is cleaned

I am just waiting for the final announcement from my work (which, by the way, is still open, but we have told all outside visitors they are not currently welcome) that they decided that to save us from the chance of infection from any outside influences, they have decided to move to a 7 day week!

With the flight bans coming into force for just about everywhere, I have visions of either ending up MadMax like driving through the desert looking for fresh supplies of fuel or like Will Smith in I am Legend, hunting infected zombies during the day to carry out research on how to cure the virus that wiped us all out.

Carnity and 4x4 remains a constant, as to date, the desert has not been closed [crossing my fingers I did not speak too soon]. 

What's gonna cheer me up, I thought? here's an idea: Which film character are you going to become as everyone in the world becomes increasingly isolated because of Covid 19?  

 

MMI or BARACUDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA are still open!!!!!

Just now, J J said:

Too far 😁

It's the drive worth, believe me.

2 minutes ago, J J said:

I do have experience on drives from other clubs .. nevertheless its fine  and understandable .. I respect the rules ..  can really only join on the friday 6.45 am ones.. Cheers.

 

@J J You can join this drive, beautiful area!

While I am writing this I am on standby for Alexander - 4Runner, I promised him if he needs help that I'll back him up.

Normally I avoid to write failures in public, because it can put somebody in embarrassment. The reason why I decided to do it, is because this can happen to everybody.

Unfortunately the 4-Runner got a transmission problem during the climb on the hill. It was not possible to engage any gear anymore.

We decided that I would stay behind with Ale and Alexander. Gaurav and Shamil would lead the group out of the desert and in the meanwhile I would try to pull the 4-Runner at least on a flat track and as close as possible to the road.The Idea was to get the car at least on a flat surface, so we could start pulling the 4 Runner from the nose.

When we started pulling the car from the nose, Ale was guiding me through the least difficult track. As you can remember, it was not easy to enter, neither it was to get out.
4 high was not sufficient, neither 4 low, I had to engage the rear diff-lock as well, otherwise I was just digging myself in.

We came to a point were I was not convinced I could make it without pulling the 4-runner in more problems. 
Ale and I made the decision to wait for Gaurav who has much more experience than us 2 together and let him explore the area to wait for his opinion.

Gaurav came back with an option to get out, but before we decided to do it, we discussed the risks. We think Alexander made a good call not to do it and first let a mechanic look at it and if the mechanic can't fix it to ask a recovery company.

Unfortunately the mechanic couldn't fix the 4-runner so they asked a recovery company to get the car out of the desert. In the meanwhile Alexander texted me that the car is out of the desert and shared pictures of the recovery. The car was recovered with a Rangerover only. I feel a bit embarrassed that we couldn't mange it yesterday, but as I said, it was the risk involved why we decided not to do it yesterday. 

@Frederic 

super managed morning, shorter briefing and 4 convoys driving. Well done Fred.

Apologize that I don’t remember who were in my convoy, but I want to give a compliment to the driver who was giving correct instructions to cars in front of him. 
 

1 hour ago, Gaurav said:

52 Now, RSVP on Thursday is a like an oil price, lololol

We will have 4 convoys and we will be putting drivers based on their experiences. Feel free to join, if you like this drive max RSVP set at 60, so decide before that or 9 PM when we stop the RSVP for the day.

I go all in!! 

Proficiat!

27 minutes ago, Javier M said:

To @Xaf's point, I think the best way would be to create a manual with the most important information, all of this info would be available in the forum for download, instead of having it spread on different pieces. This way you can either print it or have it on our phone for your review. This way if you needed to update/add one thing you would just update the manual and people can go and download the latest version.

@Javier M You are right, that is even better. One main source on the forum, easily found to download the latest version of a manual. 

@Javier M Would it be smart to put the frequencies in such document with the threat it can spread around and might be used against the group in a court case?

I am not concerned about who is reading it or not, it is more a perspective of practicability and the use of technology we have.

If you go to an existing WhatsApp conversation, you can access "Media, Links, and Docs". Instant access without the necessity to have internet.

What if you are in the desert and you don't have access to internet, but you need to find something (Nearest Hospital), what about that on one day the internet/social media is scrambled due to tensions in this region but you need to reach one of the emergency numbers?

The forum is run on internet traffic and I understand it is preferable/ necessary to gain traffic on the site. 

Just food for thought! (Just thinking a bit of redundancy when the technology is available)

Congratulations Batman! 

Any recommendations for a laser cutting service?

Probably going to design my own LED mounts.

Should I deliver the design in a CAD format or can I give them a simple drawing?

I’ll leave the spots open for the newbies, if still available on Friday evening, I’ll join.

I have a built in compressor by “Toyota”, it is actually from NSV. The airflow is low, nearly does the job for my 4 tires (gets very hot). My compressor is built in the sidewall of the trunk.

As Javier mentioned, it should be in the car to avoid to be exposed to heat. Just be sure that it has enough space to breath.

If I would invest, I would invest in the ARB double compressor. Reliable, warranty, high airflow.

A gas bottle is interesting, my only concerns are; refil, maintenance, storing, mounting, costs.

I guess it is the oil price, no demand, but countries like Saudi Arabia are increasing the production.  The trade-war has started.

Be very careful with financial decisions.

Lets rock and roll

Is it maybe an idea to share important docs in the Off-road whatsapp group?

Like;

-Frequencies
-How to guides
-Emergency numbers (UAE rescue, Police, Hospitals)

I think this will be an added value, docs are instant accessible, instead of going to the forum and search the correct topic.

When posting a new drive, you can make the members aware that they can find the documents with the applicable info in the WhatsApp group.

Food for thought.

@Jeepie @Wrangeld

Please try the above suggestions, you have a very nice car, piece of history. I know it hurts to invest but I love to watch your TJ and Sri’s XJ and all the other classic cars driving in front of me.

Hope you find a reliable shop who can help you with the work if you need to replace or install stuff. But I’m sure the people here can also help you with that.

Good luck!

@Frederic any higher level planned that day?

6 minutes ago, Frederic said:

I’ve seen two types of drivers so far. People that have joined the club, took some time to got through most of the posts and information to get themselves familiarized, and people who just click on “going” without having the slightest clue on what they’ve signed up for. I guess we can all guess which type of persons will learn this skill the quickest...

Offtopic,

I vote for a closed discussion group for the higher ranked members to discuss/ address all kind of things.

Good morning everybody.

I hope everybody reached home safely. It was a challenging sunset yesterday.

Off-roading is a team sport, the bigger the team, the more challenging to manage. I want to stress out 3 things that are important in my opinion to keep the process streamlined.

1- Radio
If you have bought a radio, please take the effort to read the manual or Fred's guideline how to program your radio. Or take the effort to come 10 minutes early and talk to one of the other drivers if you need help. 

2- Deflating
Lowering the tire pressure is essential for driving in the sand. Off roading is a sport/ hobby that needs some investments, we don't expect that you arrive with full recovery gear on your first newbie drive.
In my opinion, the cheapest investment you should invest (Financially and a bit of your own time to read/ watch YouTube instruction) is a DEFLATOR. 
There are different ways to deflate your tire. Do your own research and make a choice. What I did/ do when I have a new deflator, I test it! I drive to a gas station, check if the air pump is working and I test my deflator. Test the gauge, see how much it is reading. (Not every gauge is calibrated the same, so the gauge might over/ under- read.)
Inflate my tires again and drive away. So I feel comfortable with my new gadget. But this is my technique. 
The same counts for the radio, if you have bought new equipment and you don't know how to use it, please arrive 10 minutes early and ask one of the other members to help you.

3- Open communication
As I said, this is a team sport. Don't be afraid to ask any questions. If you are ashamed to ask a question in front of a big group, ask the question direct to one of the more experienced. There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers. This also counts for during the drive, please communicate.
Hearing is a sense that is effected by stress. If you get stuck, or in any uncomfortable situation, hearing is the first sense that will deteriorate. Thats why the communication over the radio is essential. Talking to each other pulls you out of this tunnel vision so we can guide you.

Hope to see you all on the next trip.

It is a maybe, having a duty that morning. If I finish on time, i’ll join.

Already apologize for not bringing treats and sweets with me.