CANADIAN BUNKERS ON THE AIR (CABOTA)
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Background
WWBOTA is an amateur radio awards scheme (like POTA and SOTA) focussed on activating and hunting (chasing) bunkers. More information is on the WWBOTA homepage an navigation links here.
Where Amateur Radio Meets Canada’s Hidden History
Canadian Bunkers on the Air (CABOTA) is a fun, non‑competitive amateur radio activity that combines portable operating with the exploration of Canada’s Cold War, military, and civil defence heritage. It is the Canadian national programme within WorldWide Bunkers on the Air (WWBOTA), an international family of interoperable On The Air activities.
CABOTA follows the spirit and operating practices familiar to Canadian amateurs through RAC‑aligned, ISED‑compliant amateur radio activity. Operators use their existing amateur radio qualifications, operate within their licence privileges, and enjoy radio in the field while highlighting historically significant sites.
At its heart, CABOTA is about getting on the air, learning some history, and having fun—whether you are activating a site in the field or chasing contacts from the comfort of your shack.
What Is CABOTA?
CABOTA invites amateur radio operators and SWLs to make contacts associated with qualifying Canadian bunker and defence sites. Participation is open to all licensed amateurs and listeners worldwide.
There are three ways to take part:
- Activators operate portable stations from approved CABOTA sites.
- Hunters work CABOTA activators from home, mobile, or portable stations.
- SWLs (Shortwave Listeners) log and submit verified receptions.
CABOTA is not a contest. There are no rankings, no pressure, and no fixed operating times. Contacts are made using standard amateur radio practices and exchanged information typically includes callsigns, signal reports, and the CABOTA reference number.
What Counts as a CABOTA Site?
Qualifying sites reflect Canada’s unique defence and infrastructure history and may include:
- Cold War–era military and civil defence installations
- Coastal defence batteries and fortifications
- Radar, communications, and early‑warning sites
- Underground command, control, and communications facilities
- Supporting military infrastructure with historical significance
Each site is researched, documented, and assigned a unique CABOTA reference, which is fully compatible with the global WWBOTA system.
Operating the CABOTA Way
CABOTA activations follow well‑established Canadian amateur radio practices:
- All operation must comply with ISED regulations and the operator’s licence privileges
- Portable operation is encouraged, using battery, generator, or other temporary power sources where appropriate
- Stations should respect site access rules, safety requirements, and local regulations
- No excavation or entry into restricted or unsafe structures is required—or encouraged
Many activators choose to operate from public land near a site, from accessible viewpoints, or from permitted areas adjacent to historic structures.
Logging, Spots, and Technology
CABOTA operators benefit from WWBOTA’s modern technical platform:
- Centralized logging integration via the WWBOTA
- A dedicated WWBOTA spotting cluster for real‑time activity
- Integration with Ham2K Polo for easy spotting and log synchronization
- The WWBOTA Interactive Map, allowing users to explore Canadian and international bunker sites by location or reference number
This system ensures Canadian activations are visible worldwide and makes hunting simple and rewarding.
Awards and Events
Participation in CABOTA counts toward WWBOTA lifetime awards for activators, hunters, and SWLs. Awards are automatically tracked and issued electronically in PDF format.
International operating events such as Bunkerfest and Winterfest encourage increased activity and friendly on‑air interaction across borders, with Canadian stations regularly taking part.
CABOTA Reference List
| Scheme | DXCC | Reference | Name | Type | Lat | Long | Locator |
|---|
CABOTA Map
Intersecting Bunkers
Rules
- Only those bunkers listed with a WWBOTA reference number are valid for CABOTA activations. A valid reference for CABOTA is in the format B/CA-xxxx where xxxx is a number starting at 0001.
- A bunker can be activated up to 1000m from the given coordinates, i.e. the ‘activation zone’ is 1000m.
- Up to 5 bunkers can be activated at the same time but the activator must be within 1000m of every bunker’s given coordinates, i.e. only where all activation zones overlap (Venn diagram style).
- A valid activation constitutes 25 QSO with different stations, QSO on different band earn an additional QSO for the activator but not the hunter. QSO in different modes do not earn additional credit.
- For current WWBOTA lifetime awards, each bunker activated scores once in a lifetime.
- WWBOTA and CABOTA welcome multi-scheme activations, i.e. activators are encouraged to activate bunkers with valid references for other schemes (e.g. POTA and SOTA).
- Neither WWBOTA or CABOTA take responsibility for activators: site access and safety is the sole responsibility of the activator. The listing of a bunker on this site (or any other WWBOTA site) does not imply any right of access. Whilst the list is compiled for public and open source material the activator is recommended to apply judgement with regarding to operating near sensitive or restricted sites.
For a more detailed set of rules please scroll to the bottom of the page
Logging
- Many activator chose Ham2K PoLo, other applications are available. Activators can upload their ADIF logs using WWBOTA Logger here. Note: The activator must have a WWBOTA account (WWBOTA.net login) to upload a log.
- Hunters QSO are extracted from Activator ADIF logs, hunters may also add additional QSO records. Note: The hunter must have a WWBOTA account (WWBOTA.net login) to add QSO or view their log.
WWBOTA Logger also provides the ability to view logs, statistics scores, awards, maps and more.
Spotting an activation
2. In addition, you may spot direct to the WWBOTA Cluster. (Spots via Ham2K PoLo go direct to the WWBOTA Cluster).
Awards
Presently CABOTA does not offer national awards, however, WWBOTA awards are available, see here for more information see here. Award status for WWBOTA is available on WWBOTA Logger here.
CABOTA POC
The CABOTA national coordinator is:
VE9CZ (Peter)
Email: VE9CZ.DX@gmail.com
QRZ: VE9CZ – Callsign Lookup by QRZ Ham Radio