Penistone Fm - Technical

Transmitter Chain
There are three studios, as described on the Studio Page. Radio playout and automation is handled by P² Myriad software, shown on the first picture below. Music and audio clips are freely inserted into each hour's programme span and it will automatically shuffle material about to make it fit. Sky News is received by satellite and inserted every hour. The main mixing desk in Studios One and Three is not the latest model but it is a good one - a SoundCraft Series10.

There is a small stack of equipment which takes in the stereo signal from the studios, processes it and sends it to the transmitter via a UHF link. Stereo encoding, equalisation and compression is added to the outgoing audio with an Optimod unit from Orban. In the stack is a CD player. A box of tricks senses when everything has gone quiet and plays a CD if that happens, so there should always be something coming from the transmitter. Another unit puts in the RDS signal at 57kHz for the station title and other information which is then displayed on more advanced FM receivers.

The location is Penistone High Street and PFM uses a radio link to a hilltop transmitter and mast at Hoylandswaine dog kennels. The link frequency from studio to mast is just above 1.5 GHz. The mast is nine metres high, at about 270 metres a.s.l. but it might be allowable to raise it higher. Transmitter power is 25 Watts ERP into an omnidirectional aerial, which is about the same power as a low-energy light bulb. A local link to the studio, which pops up during showground events, has been found at 860.602 MHz. For events on the street outside the studio, a normal UHF radio microphone has been used, with varying degrees of success.

Coverage Area
Green areas of the map below represent strong reception, whilst the purple areas are the weaker 'fringe' zones. The other little map on the right gives an impression of Penistone's location relative to other towns. There are two slightly different reception area maps in Ofcom documents. Download their Coverage Document (2.8 MB pdf)

The catchment area is about 5km radius and fits approximately within the current political boundaries of Penistone West and Penistone East although strong reception can be obtained much further beyond. The frequency of 95.7MHz is a surprisingly good choice from this location, with very little to interfere even in fringe reception areas. Liverpool local radio on 95.8MHz and Peterborough local radio on 95.7MHz are the only official contenders, although a Leeds pirate station has interfered in the past.

Tested Coverage
Oddly enough, there are places in Penistone which do not receive Penistone FM very well, such as: Penistone Bowling Club (high up near the Showground), a business on Church Street, Finesse Hairdresser on Bridge Street and a residence on Wentworth Road.

These results are from normal car radios. Penistone FM can be received in: Ingbirchworth, Silkstone, Cawthorne, Cubley, Thurlstone, Oxspring, Thurgoland, Millhouse Green. Ingbirchworth, Hoylandswaine and Silkstone right down to the Pot House Hamlet but Bower Hill in Oxspring and Upper Denby are both weak areas.

After the good reception of High Flatts it falls away beyond Birds Edge. There is a patch of weak reception in Shepley near the Rising Sun and in Thurstonland, Farnley Tyas and high parts of Almondbury. Reception is very strong on RN Golden's garage forecourt in Lepton but that area is quite high above sea level. There is an anomalous patch of good reception at the bottom of Southfield Road near Fenay Bridge. With careful positioning of a portable radio, PFm can also be received weakly at the top of Huddersfield's Victoria Tower.

Towards Holmfirth, it is strong up to Carlecotes but becomes patchy near the Foxhouse Inn. It rapidly falls away to nothing after the Bay Horse at Hade Edge. Heading towards Dunford Bridge, it quickly disappears as you tee off the Dunford road towards the Holmfirth side of Winscar reservoir but, surprisingly, reception it is good right down into the stygian depths of Dunford Bridge itself . Parts of Stocksbridge have a good signal but it soon peters out heading west. Bolsterstone is reported to have weak reception.

PFm reaches well into Dodworth and parts of Barnsley town centre but is weak down Old Mill Lane past the Asda. It disappears around Harborough Hills Road but there is a suspicion that a strong interfering signal might be 'blocking' reception near there. Ian in Royston and John the taxi-man from Mapplewell are regular listeners. John is able to pick up Penistone Fm from most parts of Barnsley while driving his taxi.

Reception is good down Miller Hill into Denby Dale and along the Wakefield Road towards Scissett, where it is weak but still listenable. It can be heard near the Asda in Durkar and weakly in Dewsbury. It has a very good range going south on the M1, more or less all the way to Dinnington near Worksop. Going East from Penistone, one report gives good reception all the way to Bridlington.