Minutes of Meeting

In Attendance:
For Loma Linda University ARC, KC6ZCR, Dominic Mercado
For Tri-Counties ARC, KQ6NX, Chuck Phillips
For SCATS, KI6K, Bob Krause, and KO6VG, Paul Seabern
For Sunset Ridge ARC, K6TOS, Gil Yanow
For DBARS, AD6HR, Barry Geipel, and W1WBZ, Dave O’Connor

(Barry Geipel stated that the Lake Perris QRP Society has indicated interest in being a participant).

Order of Business:

Opening Statement: Chuck Phillips briefly stated his views regarding the formation of an organization to pool the resources of local area amateur radio clubs. This thread started at the 1999 Field Day in Diamond Bar with casual comments between Chuck Phillips and Dave O’Connor as to the lessening participation by members in meetings, events and as volunteers for club activities. The bottom line seems to show that the same small handful of club members do everything regardless of the nature of the activity planned. Those attending voiced similar concerns and their interest in a wide-ranging solution.

As a note of interest, Tri-Counties ARC and DBARS have cooperated in joint ARRL Field Day operation for the past two years at Summitridge Park in Diamond Bar.


Organization Name – By unanimous consent the new group will be called the INLAND VALLEY ALLIANCE of AMATEUR RADIO CLUBS (IVAARC).

Leadership – By unanimous consent, Chuck Phillips was selected to be the Chairman of IVAARC and Dave O’Connor was selected to be the Vice-Chairman.

Events – Four potential events were proposed and discussed; a Spring Picnic, June ARRL VHF QSO Party, ARRL Field Day and a Christmas Party.

A Spring Picnic will be held on April 30th in Upland. This is seen as an appropriate first step for IVAARC members to meet and bond. Each club is asked to seek one or two volunteers from their respective ranks to be part of the Picnic Committee. These should not be members of the IVAARC Presidents’ Committee. Their names should be presented at the next Presidents’ meeting on Saturday, February 26, 2000. The first meeting of the picnic committee will be in March at a date, time and location to be determined.


ARRL June VHF QSO Party will be held at Summitridge Park in Diamond Bar on June 9, 10 and 11, 2000. DBARS has reserved the park’s hilltop site and arranged for the Diamond Bar EOC to be transported to the site. Barry Geipel (AD6HR) and Paul Seabern (KO6VG) have volunteered to be the committee for this contest event. The EOC must be attended continuously while at the site. The committee will be seeking additional volunteers for various tasks related to the success of this event.

IVAARC will offer two sites for member participation during the ARRL June Field Day: Summitridge Park in Diamond Bar and Countrywood Park in Hacienda Heights. By tradition, SCATS has held their Field Day at Countrywood Park and DBARS/TCARA at Summitridge Park. IVAARC members have an open invitation to visit these sites and operate cooperatively. More on this event at a later date.

A joint Christmas Party was discussed as being an additional, worthy social event for IVAARC. Again there will be further discussion of this event as time goes on. Principal will be a suitable and convenient location.

Potpourri:

The next Presidents’ meeting will be Saturday, February 26, 2000 at 10 A.M. at Denny’s on the 10 Fwy in Pomona.

Interest in a club callsign and a joint NET will be discussed at a future meeting.

Chuck and Dave will offer their thoughts for a Charter Statement at the next meeting.

Barry Geipel informed the meeting that there is a resourceful group dedicated to tracking and identifying purveyors of interference on the ham bands. The group is known as GARLIC, Greater Angeles Area Local Interference Committee. Contact Barry for further info.

Respectfully submitted,

Dave O’Connor
Vice-Chairman, IVAARC
W1WBZ