Bravoecho

Confirmed

14 hours ago, Gary F said:

Thank you all for the wishes, looking forward to the new level and if I can find the ultimate crest for the Gladiator 

Congratulations mate. Look forward to our next catch up in the desert

9 minutes ago, Vanessa8580 said:

Yes I did, she went from dark blue to metallic blue 

 

Looks brand new @Vanessa8580.

Can't wait to see it in action on Sunday

9 minutes ago, Frederic said:

Ah yes ! Need to test that heavy whale in Sweihan dunes 😅

Test = right boot and hang on

That was quick but happy to say I made it @Frederic.

Need to bolster the Patrol ranks. You bringing yours?

23 minutes ago, Frederic said:

Final point: i have seen hundreds of videos over the years from Australia or USA. I have learnt a lot but i also learnt that this does not always apply to our kind of offroading in the UAE desert sand.

Further to your point @Frederic the author of the video posted above (Anthony) is quite well known in the Prado circles in Australia for being controversial with his opinions so always best to do your own homework like the OP is.

And your right about recoveries in Australia are different to the UAE whether it’s in mud, rocks and on the beach, scenarios that don’t exist here.

Also using a bridle across the front to avoid excessive load on one point is a great way to spread the load.

49 minutes ago, Gary F said:

Wow and how the hell did he not flip, apart from being frame deep in sand , sailing.

More of a case of luck rather then skill.

He wasn’t to know whether he would hit a patch of sand on the way down that would catch his left side.

Thank you for a great drive @Varun Mehndiratta.

It had it all with big dunes, breakdowns and popouts.

Thank you 👍🏻

14 minutes ago, Varun Mehndiratta said:

Hey Brett @Bravoecho my mistake not sure how I missed your name… surely you are there, had it on the paper I made convoy on … missed to add you on the forum. 

Thanks @Varun Mehndiratta.

See you tomorrow morning 👍🏻

12 hours ago, Varun Mehndiratta said:

Dear Sand Sailors

Here are the final details for the drive. In case of any issues, feel free to contact me on this forum or on 050 4430 882. 

Meeting Time : 615am.

Meeting Point : https://maps.app.goo.gl/pNyskmokem8hL2ef8?g_st=iw  you will find a gate next to the meeting point. It’s an automated gate and should open when car gets close to it - it’s a Royal Heritage Gate which just looks out for some respect, so just be polite with it and it will open up. 😀

Expected End Time : 11am

Radio Channel : 4

Convoy Order - We have a long convoy with good mix of experience, so we will follow the platoon concept in this drive. Those who have been on my drives, I am sure have experienced this before - for others will share the details during the briefing. 
 

1.. Varun - Rubicon with a mystery color

2. @Ishak in Black and White Pajero will be SL. 
3.   @lucas amat in his Grey Jeep Cherokee 

4.  @Anoop Nair  will be our 1st platoon leader bringing safety element with his yellow Jeep.
5.  @PETELCZYC PAJERO - luke  It’s black and white Pajero. 
6.  @MohamedSherif in Wrangler

7.  @Looper in yellow wrangler will be CF and our 2nd platoon leader.

8. @Murtaza Bhuria In his Pajero.

9. @Gary F in white wrangler sand runner. 
10. @DP1011 , Deepak wrangler will be our 3rd platoon leader, brining in some shades of grey with his Rubicon.
11. @Krishna R in his Xterra finally breaking the Pajero/Wrangler sequence. and it’s not black nor white 😀
12.  @Pieter Potgieter in his Wrangler

13. @Mahmoud Taha in his awesome Xterra

14.  @Gok Krish in his shiny new 392 will be Sweeping the convoy and will be our 4th platoon leader. 
See you all tomo morning. 

Hi @Varun Mehndiratta, just checking you still have me down for the drive as I couldn’t see my name in the convoy order.

Been excited all day about tomorrows drive

3 hours ago, Jessica Lambert said:

@Stumpy Paj @Bravoecho good to meet some Queenslanders! True to this video:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/582372293750328?fs=e&s=7MtrtK&mibextid=z9DgKg

Too true but the three of us have a pretty poor effort in the mullet department 😜

Thanks for a fun and spirited drive yesterday @Ale Vallecchi. Couldn't think of a better way to spend a Wednesday.

Didn't take too many photos as I was busy with my thousand gear changes but I did manage to grab a couple and have uploaded them into the gallery.

Great drive and thank you to @JeromeFJand team.

One of the most diverse drives I’ve done in the UAE.

I’ve also added photos to the gallery.

1 hour ago, JeromeFJ said:

As you can see, we have a long waitlist for the drive on Saturday morning, and unfortunately, I will not be able to accommodate everyone. I will take max 2 cars in addition to the limit (1+10+2). Check your agenda and if you are not sure to attend, please let me know or remove your RSVP, to avoid having empty spot on Saturday morning. 

So currently @Bashar Beasha @Stumpy Paj @Abdul Basit Khan @Juan R @Joseph Raju @Gary F @Glenn W @Sayed Bilal @Frans M @Ahmad Nerat confirmed attendees. No need to confirm again, just let me know if you cannot make it.

@Bravoecho @Stan Waitlist #1 and #2 for a first weekend drive accepted. Please confirm you are still available and interested.

Thank you for your understanding

Hi @JeromeFJ, yes I am available and interested. Thank you very much

Missed this by a second and was really looking forward to this drive too.

On the waitlist and standing by 😁

2 hours ago, Hisham Masaad said:

@Bravoecho it is not actually our business, but we have fabricators who might help, if you know what to be done. You can pass by any time to check and do. You can reach me on 0506318834, we are located in Um Ramoul  opposite the festival city

Than kyou @Hisham Masaad. I will certainly do this.

Thanks @Frederic and @munkybizness. I knew this group would be a fountain of knowledge.

Unfortunately I didn't have the time to get to the recommended areas today as I wanted to drop something off on the way to Abu Dhabi but needless to say in the future I will be better organised and be able to enjoy my time browsing and enjoying the karak.

Hi team,

I would appreciate any recommendations from the group to get some simple fabrication work done.

It’s removing some tangs off a light bar and then rewelding them to a different location on the same light bar.

Preference would be around the Al Quoz area. If anyone has any recommendations, including our experienced leaders @Gaurav, @Frederic, @JeromeFJ, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you 👍🏻

Hi @Chaitanya D, unfortunately i'm going to have to remove my name from the list due to a work commitment.

Enjoy the drive everyone as I was looking forward to this one. 

1 hour ago, munkybizness said:

@Bravoecho How dark is your cabin? There is very little active useful information on my dinky little LCD readout save total ODO, Trip A, Trip B and a clock that my beater Casio is milliseconds more precise at. As for the speedometer, RPM and fuel gauges, they are all inversely designed with white markers and red needles/hands to aid visibility. It might be time to see an ophthalmologist instead if you're squinting at these gauges. 😎

@munkybizness its more about coming from a GX460 with a fully lit dash to the light orange glow of the Y61. The times I find the speedo and tacho hard to read without the dash lights on is at dusk and dawn when you go from looking outside to the dark binacle of the dash inside.

And yes I do wear glasses and should probably get another test 🤣

11 minutes ago, munkybizness said:

@MisterPoet - most older cars do not have their LCD displays backlit if the headlights are not on. My 2021 Nissan Patrol Y61 officially ended production in 2016 and then continued in selective countries in the Middle East & Australia. Even though my car is technically from 2021, it hasn't been meaningfully updated in over six years. My LCD cluster also doesn't light up unless I turn on my headlight.

European & North American spec'd cars usually had daytime running lights regulation especially due to inclement weather conditions and pedestrian safety. This meant that many automakers in the European and North American markets would have cars that had light-sensors which would automatically turn on headlights in dark environments. When I lived in the US in 2006, even my Civic had auto-headlights that honestly annoyed the hell out of me because there was just no reason to keep them running when the skies just got a little bit grey. Imagine driving with oncoming headlights throughout the day. Over time, this was replaced by smaller Daytime-running-lights altogether which found a more elegant and less bothersome use of the primary headlight. If you do not have a European or North American spec automobile, the chances of your car having these features in the mid 2000s is unlikely as these regulations did not all come into effect everywhere at the same time.

I've tried to pull an image of a Land Cruiser GXR 2013 from image search, and this is what I've found:

If your cluster looks exactly like this, and you're referring to the little LCD readout that has ODO information on it, this will not turn on during the day unless your headlights are on. There is no defect in your car. 

@munkybizness it is one of my bug bears about the Y61 and the reason I drive around with my parking lights on so I can see the dash.

On 2/11/2023 at 5:00 PM, JeromeFJ said:

Thank you all for joining the drive this morning. We had excellent weather and sand conditions, .... and the drive was beautiful. Almost virgin dunes for the first portion, just off Nahel, starting smooth, but presenting nice sharp ridges, and gradually increasing to higher dunes and bigger bowls. Perfect for a warm-up and for practicing ridge riding and criss-crossing.  Then a more technical portion, until we reached a track leading to the camel farms in the sabkha. 

At this point we were facing the massive dune of Nagrah. These slopes are always impressive, and we could test the power and capabilities of our cars (and us drivers) with several high climbs. Then it was time reach to the exit, and with a convoy now fully awake, and released from the initial apprehensions, it was a fluid 40min run, just enjoying the rolling dunes. 

Overall excellent level for this FB drive where we have driven more than 75 km. A few recoveries with shovels, 2 of them a bit more impressive, @premindra rajaram on a crest with a rear wheel high in the air, and @Bravoecho stuck above a bowl at a very steep angle. For the latter I've preferred to anchor the car from the top before starting the actual recovery, just to be sure that the car remains on the safe side !

@Benjamin, thank you for the 2nd lead, perfectly executed. Excellent control of your car as usual. 

@Ishak, the confidence is coming, and your driving was more fluid at the end of the drive. Good job take the Pajero on top of high climbs. 

@Bravoecho, @Bashar Beasha keep watching the moment where you loose your momentum and need to turn down on a climb. With practice, you will get more confident. It was already improving by the end of the drive. 

@premindra rajaram, try to avoid hesitations, that lead to your car being stuck in insecure positions. Confidence will come with more drives also. 

@Jaro Tuzinsky, thank you for the support, and re-aligning the convoy when needed

@Gary F, @Pascal, @Bjoern excellent control of your car in almost every situation, you area really comfortable at this level, congratulations 

Finally @Chris Wing, always a pleasure to have you in the drive. Big thank you for the sweep and support. 

Don't hesitate to post your photos and/or feedback of the drive. See you in a next drive !

Thank you @JeromeFJ for introducing me to this area of the UAE and I agree it is truly stunning to drive through these dunes.

Also greatly appreciate the help and support of you and @Chris Wingfor the recovery. It certainly was a uncomfortable position to be in and we achieved the best outcome.

I agree with your comments about momentum going up dunes and that by the end of the drive there was a improvement. As it was my third drive since buying the Y61 the learning curve has been steep but enjoyable going from a IFS to solid axle as they handle completely differently. 

Amazing looking drive@Frederic.

Will have to focus on getting my promotion to Fewbie Plus and take part in the next trip.

I’m sure the Patrol would have loved this trip (minus the amount of fuel it would take 😁)

On 2/5/2023 at 3:23 PM, Ishak said:

Hi @Bravoecho, I couldn't open the photos you shared on the gallery. I don't know with other. maybe the extension is `heir when you uploaded them.

Thanks @Ishak, i'll try and reload them again

1 minute ago, Frederic said:

Good morning all !

• Krishna R @Krishna R
• Tharun Kumar V @Tharun Kumar V
• Stumpy Paj @Stumpy Paj
• Amr Aydin @Amr Aydin
• Andrei S @Andrei S
• Ishak @Ishak
• Pascal @Pascal
• Naveen Raj @Naveen Raj
• Bravoecho @Bravoecho
• Ahmed Wagdy @Ahmed Wagdy
• Stan @Stan
• premindra rajaram @premindra rajaram
• VipinShetty @VipinShetty

You guys all are confirmed for the drive from my side. I am sure we will be having a great morning out !

Will close the RSVP by tomorrow morning and post the convoy setup. 

 

See you soon !

Thanks @Frederic. Can’t wait