Still alive and kicking!

The Launch of Syncom World's first geosynchronous satellite

African Talking Drum

Pung Fay  (my Chinese name)

Chief Engineer (from my business card when Chief Engineer at Channel 38 in San Francisco, CA

My Favorite Stars

A Look at Larry

A short autobiography by Larry Bloomfield

Co-Publisher of the Tech-Notes

I was born and raised in Southern California. My dad worked in the motion picture industry. I have pictures of me standing with earphones, playing radio engineer from back in the mid 40's. As I got older (10 - 14), instead of building forts in the back yard or in a tree, I built mock television studios equipped with the latest in lights, cameras, mics etc., all wooden of course, with my dad's help, but very real looking and to scale.

Hollywood was just a short bus ride from where I lived. I spend most of my holidays from school in tinsel town sneaking into the various studios to see how things were done. With that kind of early upbringing and interest, it’s not hard to understand why television has played such a major roll in my life. 

I graduated from the first graduating class of Rim of the World High School in Lake Arrowhead, CA. Out of high school I got a job with Pacific Telephone and Telegraph. Transcontinental television and radio circuits were my specialty. Finding that San Bernardino Junior College was not the rounded education I wanted and not having the funds for a full university, I decided to formalize my electronic training by joining the US Navy. During that time I had many interesting duty stations, including helping to launch and position the world’s first geosynchronous satellites while I was with Project Syncom. After sixteen years and after many very rewarding experiences, duty stations, projects and travels around the world, I was offered a job at Channel 2 in Los Angeles.

Many years have passed and much experience gained since those days at CBS Columbia Square. I couldn't pass up the opportunities to be gained from additional experience by freelancing, so that was the path I chose. It paid off. I ended up Chief Engineer at several facilities as the result of a strong background in fundamentals and diversification resulting from the experiences that I was able to acquire. Summing things up, I can narrow my career down to three basic areas: Engineering, Teaching and Writing. I have found each equally rewarding and fruitful.

I've always been a hands-on electronics maintenance type. This includes project engineering and all those things all engineers are required to do including the "Chief." I've worked at both small (Bend, OR) and major (Los Angeles and San Francisco) market television stations with responsibilities that include every aspect of UHF & VHF transmitter plants, translators, hiring and managing technical/operational personnel, developing and monitoring budgets, making business plans and have overseen the maintenance of nearly everything the station owned.

I conceived, licensed, design, built and owned my own 3 tower array AM radio station; the last to go on the air in Los Angeles County (Canyon Country, CA). While with CBS-TV at Mt. Wilson, CA, I maintained full power FM transmitters at their television transmitter site, near Los Angeles. As required, I've established standards and practices manuals at each facility where I've worked.

I wrote a training material on the software that operates single point of control – Multi-channel television operations, such as A-Sky-B (where Dish Network transmits from now). I wrote and produced several dozen Power Point presentations for this project when I was Training and Publications coordinator at a Silicon Valley software company.

I have many "firsts" to my credit in Satellite communications and hold an FCC General Class license with a radar endorsement. I'm an active member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the Central Oregon Coast Amateur Radio Club (KA6UTC – General Class license).

As a holder of a California State Teaching Credential, I have taught nearly ten years, including six years in California and three years in Guam where I ended up as the department head for Electronics instruction with 5 other instructors working for me. My skills at teaching students who speak English as a second language helped hone my writing skills. I have taught basic electronics to aspiring amateur radio operators.

Technical self-improvement is a must! I enjoy conducting regular classes in both analog and digital television fundamentals and advance theory, as necessary. I have taught several FCC license courses and I attend professional seminars when ever possible. Teaching is probably the most rewarding thing I have ever done in life. While Chief Engineer in Central Oregon, I knew I had to stay up with the ever-advancing technology. In association with an associate, who lives and works in the Los Angeles area, we decided that a newsletter addressing digital television was sorely needed. In 1997, when we published our first edition of the Tech Notes, we had ten subscribers, all of whom I knew. It was and still is free as an e-mail newsletter. We currently have 1200 subscribers. As the result of that early work, I was asked to join the writing stable of Broadcast Engineering magazine (I’m now in my fifth year writing for them). Copies of this newsletter can be seen on our website: http://www.Tech-Notes.tv. This website has become a major project to us. To my knowledge, there is none other like it.

I love to interface with other members of the broadcast community. My wife says it's because I'm such a good BS artist. I love to share with them anything that will help make their jobs and lives better. Although I have never sought notoriety, I am known by almost all of my regular fifty thousand readers. I still don't understand why anyone wants to read my stuff, but I'm sure glad they do.

In my efforts I deal with the many NT-computer systems used in television today and as part of my ongoing desire to be on the cutting edge of technology, I have completed the training to become a certified Microsoft Certified Systems Software Engineer (MCSE). I have found there are very few qualified NT trained or experienced people who are also knowledgeable of broadcasting in the broadcast arena.

After a brief time in a full time position with Harris Automation, formerly Louth Automation, I moved on to become an independent contractor for several companies. Expenses in the Bay Area made our old home state of Oregon seem ever so attractive. It didn't take much for us to make the move. We're now located in what can best be described as the best kept secret in the United States - Florence, Oregon.

I can honestly say that I have achieved nearly every goal in life that I have set. It may not have come down the way I wanted it to, but it has all happened, nonetheless; and I can say it's been an E-coupon ride all the way.  I love sharing what I have and what I’ve done with my friends and family. The adulation is wonderful -- I love it and wouldn't change one bit or byte of it.

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