A south Florida man was electrocuted when the antenna he was putting up struck a power line. Police say 42-year-old Jean Adelphonse was working in the dark Monday night when part of an antenna to be used for an unlicensed radio station collapsed and struck a power line. The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported that he was working on the roof of an office building where his other businesses were located.
That is rather unfortunate and completely preventable. The first red flag here is working in the dark. The second would be working alone. Safety is always paramount; whether it is working on a transmitter, putting up an antenna, working on a ladder, or environmental conditions such as heat, weather, etc. In my younger days, I had gotten away with a few careless moments mainly due to blind luck. I cringe thinking about it today. Nothing on the radio is worth killing yourself or anyone else over.
This type of thing used to happen more often when almost every house had an outside TV antenna.
Let’s be careful out there.
Judge Judy often refers to the legal concept of when coming into court you must have “clean hands” You come into this country and deliberately break the law…..no tears shed here.
The manufacturers of the equipment most used by pirate FMers should add directions that say “The best time to install is at night, in the dark, when the moon isn’t visible, so no one will see you do it.” Make sure the text is prominently displayed in all languages except American English.
I sense a theme…
The pirate create fun for me. I love “foxing and hounding” them. I have one of the best reputations of finding these guys in Boston. It’s fun. I don’t report them directly to the FCC, but I do have a page of the tracked addresses, plus a Facebook group (closed) that the other guys I know who find these guys, keep track.
RIP, everyone have your own death