For our April 11 General meeting and breakfast topics discussed were:

• Because Mothers’ Day falls on the second Sunday of May, the day after our regularly scheduled PAPA Breakfast meeting, we cannot hold our regular meeting at Mill Creek in May. The group discussed alternates to a Mill Creek meeting. Options discussed were:
  • Hold no meeting
  • Regular Breakfast meeting at an alternate location
    • Bill Olinger, KN6UHH, had done some research and field work, and came up with two other venues that would be willing to allow us to use their facilities (good job, Bill… thank you).
      • The Oaks Restaurant in Angeles Oaks
        • Pros
          • Really nice venue with great scenery
          • A great opportunity to get out into the boondocks
          • Good food
        • Cons
          • 20 miles further out from Redlands
          • Not great freeway access (it’s in the boondocks)
      • Taylors Bar & Grill in Redlands
        • Pros
          • OK venue
          • Not far from the freeway, so access would be comparable to that of Mill Creek
          • Big back room, good for our group
          • Per staff, they would be flexible on our breakfast schedule
        • Cons
          • None, really, unless you are offended by the ambiance
  • Hold some sort of field operation
    • This option was preferred by the group, in keeping with the discussions that were held on this subject at the March meeting.
      • After some discussion, it appears that the consensus was in favor of an HF exercise, with some antenna options as a subset. Those of us who have portable HF antennas will bring them, and give others an opportunity to compare and contrast functionality and performance in a field setting. There may be other activities as well… dealer’s choice.
    • Per last month’s discussion, Scott Zinda, K6SJZ, provided the group with local park options that would support a field day-esque activity (well done… thank you, Scott!)
      • Now that the group has agreed on a park meeting, Scott will determine the best location, and set it up for the group. He will report back in a few days with his findings, and we will then notify the IE group, and PAPA, writ large, of the plans.
• Precipitating from my profession of ignorance regarding Discord, Michael Rickey, AF6FB, explained Discord to those of us that didn’t know what it is, and why it is the preferred method for electronic interaction relative to the IE group’s leadership activities. We are now aligned with this direction.
• Inland Empire Meeting Coordinator, Paul Letson, KN6RED, informed the group of a killer ‘3 for the price of 1’ deal being offered by Bioenno on 40 Ah LiFePO 4 batteries. Before I could finish explaining the deal, one member had already found it on-line and ordered, and another stated his intention to do the same after the meeting.
• Paul encouraged all attendees to order PAPA System name badges from the PAPA web page. He also mentioned instituting the use of individual name placards (folded card stock, with names written in Sharpie) that attendees could place in front of them at their table, for ease of name recognition. Unlike some of the other better-established PAPA regional groups, the IE chapter is relatively new, with new members joining all the time. This idea was generally well-received (at least it was not rejected), so we will try to get this going at our next Mill Creek meeting (June). Once created, the placards will be stored in the IE gear bin and re-used at subsequent meetings.

Best 73 de Paul KN6RED