{"id":59056,"date":"2024-02-20T07:39:48","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T11:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=59056"},"modified":"2024-02-20T07:39:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T11:39:48","slug":"vis-the-end-of-an-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/02\/vis-the-end-of-an-era\/","title":{"rendered":"VIS: The End of an Era"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> and SRAA<\/em> contributor<\/a>, Dan Greenall, who shares the following guest post:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The End of an Era<\/h1>\n

by Dan Greenall<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many of us can remember the many radio telephone stations that could be found outside the regular SWBC bands during the 1970\u2019s and 80\u2019s and even into the 1990\u2019s. They often ran repeating \u201cvoice mirrors\u201d to help the receiving station tune them in prior to handling actual traffic. Some of these also operated within the designated maritime (ship to shore) frequencies.<\/p>\n

One such station was coastal radio VIS from Sydney, Australia and they could frequently be heard here in southern Ontario, Canada on both SSB or CW modes. I received their attractive QSL card for reception in 1972.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

However, with the advent of satellite and internet communications, these type of stations began to disappear from the HF shortwave bands.<\/p>\n

On Christmas day in 1998, I happened to tune into the attached repeating transmission. This station is presumed to be maritime radio VIS in Sydney, Australia on 13083 kHz. The recording was made at Thamesford, Ontario, Canada on December 25, 1998. The repeating message was “The number you have called is not in service. Please check the number you have dialed. If you require further assistance, please call 1225.” 1225 was the number for International Directory Assistance in Australia.<\/p>\n

Audio:<\/strong><\/p>\nhttps:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/VIS-Sydney-unknown-1998.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Internet research indicates that VIS discontinued its CW service in 1999. I believe the station completely closed down in 2002.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post and SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following guest post: The End of an Era by Dan Greenall Many of us can remember the many radio telephone stations that could be found outside the regular SWBC bands during the 1970\u2019s and 80\u2019s and even into the 1990\u2019s. They often […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,305,288,746,43,9589],"tags":[10271,4342,10454,10453,10455],"class_list":["post-59056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","category-recordings","category-shortwave-radio","category-utility","tag-dan-greenall","tag-guest-posts","tag-radio-telephone-stations","tag-vis","tag-voice-mirrors"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-fmw","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":60359,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/can-you-help-dan-solve-this-50-year-old-radio-mystery\/","url_meta":{"origin":59056,"position":0},"title":"Can you help Dan solve this 50 year old radio mystery?","author":"Thomas","date":"August 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post and\u00a0Shortwave Radio Audio Archive contributor, Dan Greenall, who writes: Hi Thomas From the early 1970's, where sadly, some of my original logbooks went missing many years ago. ANTEL, the Administracion Nacional de Telecommunicaciones in Montevideo, Uruguay used to use its telephone time announcement instead of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo by Sai Harish on Unsplash","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Casette-Tape-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Casette-Tape-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Casette-Tape-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Casette-Tape-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Casette-Tape-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61491,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/rediscovering-the-golden-age-of-utility-dxing\/","url_meta":{"origin":59056,"position":1},"title":"Rediscovering the Golden Age of Utility DXing","author":"Thomas","date":"December 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Greenall, who writes: Hi Thomas Back in the 1970's, I used to enjoy hunting for \"utility\" radio stations outside the regular SWBC bands. When I came across a copy of the Utility DXer's Handbook from 1971 recently on eBay, I couldn't resist purchasing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/udxh-cover.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/udxh-cover.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/udxh-cover.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/udxh-cover.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63579,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/hcjb-quito-ecuador-then-and-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":59056,"position":2},"title":"HCJB Quito, Ecuador – Then and Now","author":"Thomas","date":"August 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Greenall, who writes: In the 1970s, the powerful signal from radio station HCJB, the Voice of the Andes, in Quito, Ecuador, could be heard with station identifications (similar to this one circa 1971) being given between programs. I am led to believe that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HCJB-1970-QSL.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HCJB-1970-QSL.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HCJB-1970-QSL.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HCJB-1970-QSL.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/HCJB-1970-QSL.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64213,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/the-90-metre-band-then-and-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":59056,"position":3},"title":"The 90 metre band – Then and Now","author":"Thomas","date":"October 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who shares the following guest post: The 90 metre band \u2013 Then and Now by Dan Greenall A few decades ago, the 90 metre shortwave broadcast band used to be full of interesting and challenging-to-hear DX signals. In the 1974 edition of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PNG-radio-map-1971.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PNG-radio-map-1971.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PNG-radio-map-1971.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PNG-radio-map-1971.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/PNG-radio-map-1971.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":63537,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/dan-unearths-radio-memories-a-1990s-treasure-trove-of-broadcast-ephemera\/","url_meta":{"origin":59056,"position":4},"title":"Dan Unearths Radio Memories: A 1990s Treasure Trove of Broadcast Ephemera","author":"Thomas","date":"August 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who writes: Hi Thomas Before the days of the internet and e-mail, handwritten or typed reception reports mailed out to broadcast stations would often net the lucky DXer other goodies, including station brochures, program schedules, frequency guides, station stickers, blank reception report\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/VOFC-booklet-1992-page-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/VOFC-booklet-1992-page-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/VOFC-booklet-1992-page-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/VOFC-booklet-1992-page-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/VOFC-booklet-1992-page-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64381,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/10\/voice-of-hope-africa-is-off-the-air\/","url_meta":{"origin":59056,"position":5},"title":"Voice of Hope Africa Is Off the Air","author":"Thomas","date":"October 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who writes: Hi Thomas I just heard on the latest program of Wavescan that the Voice of Hope Africa from Lusaka, Zambia is now off the air. 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