VIHhistory

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In 1911, the Commonwealth government decided to erect a number of coast wireless stations
 to communicate with the increasing number of ships equipped with wireless.  Mr Balsillie
 was engaged to oversee the work and the equipment was manufactured by Father Shaw's
 Maritime Wireless Company in Randwick.
The first station was in Melbourne [where the Shrine of Remebrance now is] and the second
 opened in Hobart in May 1912 in time to communicate with Mawson's expedition to Macquarie
 Island and Antarctica.
Initially using the call POH [Post Office Hobart?] the Hobart station operated on 600 metres
 [500KHz] using a 182 foot oregon mast, a 5 KW spark transmitter and crystal receiver.
   Messages from ships cost 6d per word plus 1d per word to forward to the Hobart Post Office: equivalent to about $10 per word today.
Following an international conference the callsign became VIH in 1913.
By 1924, VIH was using a De Forest ultra-audion receiver and in 1926, a 2 KW valve
 transmitter.
VIH was operated  by the Postmaster Generals Department, The Royal Australian Navy,
 Amalgamated Wireless Australasia and finally the Overseas Telecommunications Commission
 until closing in 1992.