Here’s a pirate FM story you don’t hear very often, but tragically reminds us that everyday pirates are often not skilled RF engineers: An Oakland Park (Ft. Lauderdale area) man was electrocuted while trying to install a pirate radio station antenna on the roof of a strip mall, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. As many know, the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area is a mecca for pirate radio on FM.
Jean Roselet Adelphonse, 42, died Monday when the antenna he tried to put up at the strip mall came in contact with a power line, officials said. The incident occurred in the 300 block of East Prospect Road, where Adelphonse had a business, sheriff’s spokeswoman Gina Carter said.
Adelphonse was climbing a tree at about 10:40 p.m. when he was electrocuted, the Sheriff’s Office said. His friend, Clebert Durand, who was helping him install the antenna, called 911.
Adelphonse died at the scene, Carter said. Durand, also 42, of Fort Lauderdale, was not hurt, she said.
It appears the pirate radio station the pair tried to start was a Creole-speaking station, Carter said.
See the Sun-Sentinel story here
