Alex Raptor

@munkybizness check out claymore lights for the camping lights, they have a magnetic mount or a 1/4 20 tripod mount so you can move them where you need them, I'm using those now on my chase rack they have all sorts of levels and colour warmth and are USB c charging and can act as a powerbank, I also put the rigid camp lights that throw out light at 45 degrees from the side pods, 

bubba ropes and shackles have not let me down and are available locally and on amazon

@Mark D I have them all on my raptor, the most effective are the rigid cubes in the foglights, albeit mine are now altogether in an aftermarket bumper, followed by the LP6 Baja's on the bumper 2 white and 2 amber. The ditch lights on the A pillar are XL80 ambers and are very bright, you don't need those if you go bumper mount, and are not good if you are following in a convoy as they blind the person in front, I don't have any experience with any other brands apart from Rigid and Baja and they are great, and easy to wire into the up fitter switches on the raptor

25 minutes ago, Dinesh Kumar A said:

Hi @Wrangeld, ran through Abu Dhabi border on my way from Fujairah. Have been revrouted since i did not have my green pass. I will reach by 0715

@Dinesh Kumar A will you be any later than 715. Everyone else is here 

Well done Russ, keep on truckin

nice one @Ferl Brown well deserved

Well done @PaoloMaraziti

Fun and challenging afternoon, some soft and tricky patches in places. For most of you these are still early days in your off road driving careers, so with the introduction of slide sloping techniques was invaluable today, skills building step by step is key to your development and learning to master the sands. Most of today's issues were caused by a lack of momentum, this comes with experience but learning to know when you keep moving, feeding power in to overcome the softer areas and remain committed to the obstacle in hand, I also noticed drivers stopping very close to the car in front, please do remember that whenever you stop, make sure your car is pointing down, its very difficult to gain momentum when you are already pointing uphill.

You also need to work on your radio discipline, its important to learn it now, ALWAYS announce on the radio ANY refusal, no matter how small, as this has a knock on effect to the rest of the convoy, a delay in position 3 or 4  for example, then knocks on to all the other positions causing the convoy to stretch out. ALWAYS say your name and your car. Remember there is no shame in getting a refusal, its not a race to recover, it is to be done clearly and safely, and if nobody knows what you are doing then this cannot be achieved. There is always help available to you so sit tight and where necessary we can assist you.

Also please remember to take your radio with you when you are outside your vehicle, obviously we cannot communicate without the radio, we had a situation today, where the driver was 150 metres from his car and the convoy was moving and his passenger was announcing the driver wasn’t there and waving cars through, this can't happen. So please ensure your radios are with you at all times.

All in all a fun afternoon, our middle bit of slide sloping and some crosses was perfectly executed and I hope you were all able to pick up some new skills. Some really good self recoveries as well, and where we did have to dig, thank you all for your team spirit and camaraderie to the task in hand. 

One final point for any of you who had mechanical issues today (flags, radios or cars) or warning lights, please make sure you have them replaced/thoroughly checked before signing up for your next drives. 

yes, another Raptor, well done, see you this afternoon

16 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Thank you all for joining this amazing Recovery Champion session, my personal favorite among all types of drives and LL. Simply because it has varied challenges and how we going to overcome those tricky situations will be interesting and entertaining for all.

@Lawrence_Chehimi @Niki @GauravSoni @Rizwanm2 @Alex Raptor @MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ @Melenany @Russ @Wrangeld

• Please charge your radio FULL, carry spare if you have one.
• Take plenty of rest, as a lot of exercises are physically intensive.
• Carry a shovel, tow rope, and shackles.
• Carry a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of water.
• Keep an extra 1-2 hour buffer, in case we get delayed (most likely).

After seeing such amazing names in the calendar, Im planning something totally different and EPIC, to give each one of you a chance to DIY (Dig it yourself).

I am really looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

Convoy Numbering - Channel 1

1. Gaurav
2. Niki
3. Lawrence_Chehimi
4. Melenany
5. MUHAMMAD Kashif RAZZAQ
6. Alex Raptor
7. GauravSoni
8. Russ
9. Rizwanm2
10. Richard

Please confirm if you all are fine to start a little early by 3 PM instead of 4 PM, so we have a bit more daylight to work with?

no problem with 3pm for me

4 minutes ago, Mark D said:

Thanks @Alex Raptor I’ve seen the ones that go between tailgate and body and that would be preferred.  Will try find somewhere that will fabricate it.  Cheers 

have a look on instagram for UAE raptors club I have found their recommendations for garages to be good, rightly so we cannot promote a garage on here

9 minutes ago, Chaitanya D said:

Hi @Mark Dolman

You can get a AOR suction cup with a flag, which is pretty sturdy till IM drive when it tends to fall off .

Another light weight and good option is a sticky whimps off road flag.

Both don't need any mounts , and come with their suction cups.

Friends @Alex Raptor , @Russ, @Dodi Syahdar who drive a raptor, could help in guiding you with regards to flag mounts for raptor

@Mark Dolman few options it can slide between tailgate and body on some.models  or you can get a plate done from several garages that goes in the tie down hole.on the top of the bed rails. 

Height is the key on the stock cars, we have had to wiggle a little to get the clearance, but no issues I getting enough height, base is big enough not to need a board, it’s actually better on the compressor than the air tanks, I have struggled to get those filled locally to 4500 psi, everyone maxes out at 3000. so far we have lifted, jeeps, raptors, pajeros, no problems, I think it will need serviced at some point and the manufacturer has sent me a manual for it to be torqued back up etc. I have just got a mount for it for the bed, to replace the burj khalifa, I think I have tested it enough now to run with just the air jack rather than both. I haven't tried the other ones on amazon etc, there is a big price difference, shipping was 200 USD from USA to UAE.

Also just to add, I have a strap around the handles now, so you can activate and release without having an arm under the vehicle, red for up and black for down.

4 minutes ago, Niki said:

Fitness freak + adrenaline junkies …. This is the absolute opposite of me!!!!  

I am desperate to visit this area as you know @Gaurav…. If I haven’t developed a 6pack or courage by this date can I come to document the events on video!… though after one drive with @Srikumar- he called me boring and threatened to push me down ‘Pajero bowls’ … renaming it FJ bowl to force me to play! 

@Frederic you realize there is a bortle class 2 site near there (I thought I had found even a class 1) …. The purest and darkest skies!! … bonus Astro night is calling! 
 

Speed junkie @Alex Raptor this is made for you!  

Would be happy to have a go and to provide an additional winch. Unfortunately the tentative date is a problem for me, if there is a rerun or a chance of postponement into mid December I can come and play. 

9 minutes ago, varunmehndiratta said:

@Wrangeld i think it was a drive we learnt about leadership and importance of managing risks in an adventure .. we tried still since couldn't find the clear way was really good of you to discuss openly with convoy the plan and options... this is the element of community we are all here in @Carnity for...as always thanks for drive. 

Another aspect - it's very clear you just can't stay away from me ..in last 5 drives together i have been your second lead, you tried today to move me to Centre and poor chap Charlie had to exit...😂😂😂

Its that calming voice of yours Varun.....

Difficult one today, despite the valiant and hard fought efforts of our Lead, the desert has been decimated by bulldozers, carving tracks for the incoming Seismic surveys, a sign of the times I'm afraid. Everyone drove well, showed great team spirit on the occasion it was needed on the side of a bulldozer track, and we were rewarded with some excellent bowls and side slopes towards the end, I have put some photos in the gallery. 

Im up for all of this, but I hope I don't have to suck snake venom out of @Niki 's ankle

3 minutes ago, Gaurav said:

Motorola cost 150

Kangda cost 300

Not much for trouble free drive experience with better range, battery life and clarity of comms.

Thanks Fredy for introducing me to Kangda, so far it's amazing since almost a year now.

not heard of the kangda? Where are these for sale in Dubai please? 

congratulations @Lawrence_Chehimi

well done!!! a deserved promotion @Warren Flay

well done!!! look forward to seeing you on another drive soon, lego promotion imminent as well !!!!!!

well done!!! look forward to seeing you on another drive soon

12 minutes ago, Felix Obst said:

Hi @Alex Raptor,

took me my entire morning to make an Alex Raptor out of an obviously boring Lego Standard SUV...you have at least two new supporters since Saturday!

Have a good start into the week...

That's amazing. So impressed. That's really cool. Don't tell them but there is an official raptor lego set available now. It will be on my Christmas list. 

How good was that? Thank you all for attending today, also appreciate all of you being ready on time, it does make a big difference. 

We had a mix of some more experienced newbies and fewbies, as well as some of you just on your second drives. Very impressive how you all commanded your vehicles through some very tricky parts. The objective was to push you and to show you how to conquer technical dunes, you all did it it with aplomb. It would be my pleasure to drive with any of you again.

Specifically, we learnt how to use momentum to crawl through very soft sand, how different approach speeds will make all the difference when crossing what appear to be only small dunes, but they will still get the better of us. For some of you that will be the first time you will have seen a pop out being fixed, as we discussed in our debrief, this is something that happens to all of us and as you develop your skills you can learn how to minimise the number of occurrences. We also did some digging and rope recoveries as well as a couple of winches. The second was a very tricky recovery from a pocket with only two wheels on the ground. 

Your radio comms and convoy discipline were good, always remember to announce any stuck or reattempt, with your name and vehicle so we can make sure the rest of the convoy is aware of your manoeuvring. 

Thanks again everyone, it was a really enjoyable Saturday morning drive, we covered a good distance with a lot less issues than I expected, that is testament to you and your abilities, the more you do it the more you will learn. 

Look forward to doing it again soon, next time we will venture into some even tougher stuff........