WWBOTA BUNKERFEST 2025
International Festival of Bunkers
Outline - the basics
When: 14-15 June 2025 (48 hours)
Purpose: An international weekend-long bunker event
Aims
* Promote the Worldwide Bunkers on the Air (WWBOTA) scheme.
* Encourage bunker activations from all WWBOTA member countries.
* Encourage worldwide bunker hunting and shortwave listening.
* Encourage amateurs who do not presently have national bunker schemes to participate as ‘guest countries’.
* Have fun activating and chasing!
Background
* A WWBOTA sponsored event, supported by national societies.
* Run for a weekend (Saturday and Sunday in June).
* A first event in June 2025 with the intention to run future International Bunkerfest weekends once a year.
* Activators in ‘guest countries’ (those who have not yet joined WWBOTA) also invited to participate.
Outline
* WWBOTA will host the event and produce promotional material.
* WWBOTA will issue awards for activators, hunters and SWL.
* QSOs will also count for WWBOTA and national awards, where applicable.
* No trackers required or provided.
* Award claims by email, to awards@wwbota.org (based on trust, no log required).
The Rules
- HF activators require a minimum of 25 QSOs to activate a bunker, return visits within the 48 hours of the event to achieve 25 QSO.
- VHF activators require a minimum of 10 QSOs to activate a bunker, return visits within the 48 hours of the event to achieve 10 QSO.
- All modes may be used (voice, CW, and data including FT modes).
- The use of repeaters and internet gateway and VOIP services (eg. Peanut) is not permitted.
- A station may only be worked once at each bunker. Additional modes or bands do not score as an additional QSO.
- A Hunter may only claim a bunker once, even if different activators are worked at the same bunker.
- No multiple bunkers permitted during an activation, one bunker per activation, eg. even if the bunker activation areas include multiple bunkers (like a 3 fer) then only one of the bunkers may be claimed. It is subsequently permissible to activate other bunkers in the same activation zone, one at a time, each requiring a minimum of 25 QSO HF or 10 VHF. An activator may activate each bunker once on HF or VHF, but not both.
- UKBOTA Note: For the purposes of this event B/G-, GM, GW, GI, GD, GU and GJ count as the same country, i.e. England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey.
Awards
Activator
Scoring
A. 5 points per bunker activated.
B. 3 additional bonus points per bunker to bunker (B2B) QSO with another country (ie. outside the activators country).
C. 1 additional bonus point per country worked (excluding the activator’s country). Each country can only be claimed once during the event, irrespective of how many times it is worked.
Total Score is: A + B + C
HF example
* M0BOA activates 5 bunkers in UK between 14-15 June. (5 bunker x 5 points)
* In total they have 16 B2B QSO with bunkers outside UK. (16 B2B x 3 points)
* They work a total of 20 different countries (excluding UK). (20 countries x 1 point)
Score is: (5×5) + (16×3) + 20 = 25 + 48 +20 = 93 points = GOLD
HF Activator Awards
Bronze = 25
Silver = 50
Gold = 75
Diamond = 100 or more
VHF Activator Awards
Bronze = 10
Silver = 20
Gold = 30
Diamond = 40 or more
Rule 6
Activators: If you incorrectly activated more than one bunker at a time (not permitted in this event) then you may only claim ONE of the Bunkers.
Hunter and SWL
Scoring
A. 1 point for every bunker worked (or heard) in the hunter’s (or SWL) country.
B. 3 points per bunker worked (or heard) outside the hunter’s (or SWL) country.
C. 3 bonus points per country worked (or heard) activating a bunker a different country outside hunter’s or SWL country. Note. Each country can only be claimed once during the event.
Total Score is: A + B + C
HF Example
* ON3BOA works 7 bunkers in Belgium between 14-15 June. (7 bunker x 1 point)
* They work 15 bunkers outside Belgium. (15 bunkers x 3 points)
* They work bunkers in a total of 5 different countries (excluding Belgium). (5 countries x 3 points)
Score is: (7×1) + (15×3) + (5×3) = 7 + 45 + 15 = 67 points = SILVER
HF Hunter Awards
Bronze = 25
Silver = 50
Gold = 75
Diamond = 100 or more
VHF Hunter Awards
Bronze = 10
Silver = 20
Gold = 30
Diamond = 40 or more
Rule 6
If you worked a station incorrectly activating more than one bunker at a time (not permitted in this event) then you may only claim ONE of the Bunkers
Score Calculators
HF Activator
VHF Activator
HF Hunter
VHF Hunter
Claims your awards
* There is no need to send us your logs, the issue of awards for this event is based on trust.
* Log your contacts and keep track on your normal logging software or paper logbook.
* At the end of the event just email our awards manager your score and level of award claimed for one or more of the four categories and you will receive a free high-resolution A4 award in PDF format for each valid claim.
Email our Awards Manager: Mark M0XIC at awards@wwbota.org.
(C) WWBOTA 2025
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