It was intended to fill in gaps of the FM radio, serve seafarers and as a critical communications facility.

[2] A second, smaller, 30 m (98 ft) tall tower was installed by the US Coast Guard in the autumn of 1961 as part of a LORAN-A network paired with Greenland.

In 1991, the original RÚV 1930 longwave transmitter tower at Vatnsendi (near Reykjavík) collapsed.

As the Hellissandur mast was free for use, it was converted for use by RÚV (The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service) for its longwave transmissions on 189 kHz at a power of 300 kilowatts in the 1997.

[4][5] The Hellissandur transmitter went off the air on 5 September 2024[citation needed] and on 17 October it was officially announced as closed.