PA28 PLT EXPERIENCED CONFLICTION WITH OTHER VFR ACFT LNDG AT MEV UTILIZING CTAF PROCS.

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I WAS INBOUND TO MINDEN-TAHOE ARPT. I MADE A POS RPT OVER THE 'SKI PONDS' AT 5700 FT MSL (PATTERN ALT) THAT I WAS ENTERING ON A 45 DEG ENTRY TO L DOWNWIND RWY 34. AS I WAS ENTERING DOWNWIND RWY 34 ABEAM THE RWY 16 NUMBERS; I SPOTTED ANOTHER ACFT AT 11 O'CLOCK POS PASSING L TO R; AHEAD OF ME; AT A LOWER ALT. I DIDN'T TAKE EVASIVE ACTION BECAUSE IT WAS APPARENT TO ME THAT WE WERE NOT ON A COLLISION COURSE. THE OTHER ACFT CLBED TO THE SAME ALT AS I; FLYING A WIDER PATTERN. THE OTHER ACFT XMITTED ON CTAF THAT I ALMOST HIT HIM. I XMITTED THAT I HAD VISUAL CONTACT OF THE OTHER ACFT. THE OTHER ACFT XMITTED THAT I DID NOT MAKE A POS RPT AND HE WAS UNAWARE OF MY PRESENCE. I XMITTED THAT I DID MAKE A POS RPT OVER THE 'SKI PONDS'. AFTER LNDG; I SPOKE IN PERSON WITH THE PLT OF THE OTHER ACFT. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS UNAWARE THAT HIS ACFT WAS IN THE PATTERN. HE STATED THAT HE DID NOT ANNOUNCE HIS INTENTIONS OVER CTAF. CONCLUSION: WHEN ENTERING THE PATTERN; I BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD BE SAFER TO ENTER THE DOWNWIND LEG ABEAM MIDFIELD RATHER THAN ABEAM THE RWY NUMBERS. THIS WOULD REDUCE THE CHANCES OF ACFT CONVERGING FROM DIFFERENT ALTS. I ALSO BELIEVE IT WOULD BE EASIER TO DETERMINE FLT PATHS OF CONVERGING ACFT AT ABEAM MIDFIELD; BECAUSE THE ACFT IN THE PATTERN WOULD BE IN STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLT; RATHER THAN A CLBING TURN FROM XWIND TO DOWNWIND.