General Council Chair Candidancy - Carl Ratcliffe - M0ICR

PERSONAL STATEMENT

I'd like to step forward and offer to take on the role of Chairman of the WWBOTA General Council. I'm happy to serve for a period of one year, with the main aim of providing some continuity and stability during this time.

PRIORITIES

A key priority for me will be establishing the General Council as soon as possible, so we can have open, democratic discussion and voting on our standards and rules. This isn't meant to be more of the same — I see it as a genuine reset in how we work together and grow this wonderful scheme as a community.

MY COMMITMENT TO YOU AND MY VALUES

My commitment is to the stability and growth of our shared scheme, alongside respectful discourse and genuine respect for national preferences and identities. Every voice will be heard. I'm very happy to be held to account for that.

As founder of WWBOTA and author of its founding statement I remain committed to that statement and what WWBOTA stands for:

"The desire to communicate across borders, and the impulse to understand and preserve our shared history. Bunkers are among the most visceral physical remnants of the conflicts and tensions that shaped the modern world. From coastal fortifications to Cold War command centres, from anti-aircraft emplacements to civil defence shelters, they exist in almost every country — silent witnesses to moments of national and international significance. WWBOTA exists to draw attention to these structures, to promote interest in them as part of our collective heritage, and to connect the amateur radio community across the international boundaries that those bunkers were so often built to defend .... every activation is an act of historical engagement."

Carl

M0ICR

WWBOTA Chair Candidacy Submission, Christof Raidler

VISION

WWBOTA shall become the democratic framework for its autonomous, equal members federated together in free will based on a commonly agreed charta backed by shared values to provide the rich ground for worldwide friendship, elections and initiatives, next-generation development and border-less cooperation to flourish - so we, as a collective, follow a chosen purpose to honour our heritage, not only through words and individual actions but foremost by showcasing that people actually can learn from the past, grow above their egos and proof that civilised multinational structures, at least in small scales, may exist without competing, fractioning and dismembering themselves - just to end again in the same destructive tragedies we all claim to remember.

REASON

As an independent ham radio operator, knowledge and challenge but certainly not competition oriented, not part of any council or governing structure and therefore free of conflict of interests, who served and lives one of the worlds oldest democracies - I can afford to offer a part of my free time for WWBOTA amongst hopefully many more to choose from.

Christof "Chris" Raidler, HB9HCR, 19.09.2026, hb9hcr@gmail.com

WWBOTA Version Controlled Document

File ref: wwbota/council/whatsapp/Johann Furrer/wwbota admin

Version: V1.0

Issued By: Johann Furrer

Creation Date:  1127hrs 17/09/2026

Before I outline the role and tasks of the WWBOTA Chair below, I would like to point out an important fact: I was exclusively entrusted by the community of national representatives with organizing the election of the Chair. It is not within my competence to define the Chair’s tasks in a binding manner, and I do not wish to pre-empt the community in any way. The following points merely reflect my personal opinion and idea and are intended to provide initial orientation for potential interested parties. The definitive tasks of the Chair must ultimately be jointly developed and adopted by the community of national representatives in a democratic process.

The Role and Tasks of the WWBOTA Chair

The Chair of the WWBOTA Council is the central coordinator and leader of the international governance body. They ensure that the program is further developed in a coordinated manner, that all national programs are heard, and that activities are in harmony with the values of WWBOTA. General tasks include:

- Leading the Council: The Chair chairs the meetings of the WWBOTA Council, develops agendas, moderates discussions, and ensures effective collaboration.

- Promoting international cooperation: WWBOTA brings together national Bunkers-on-the-Air programs from around the world. The Chair promotes the exchange of best practices and the sharing of resources such as the central bunker list and the logging platform.

- Further developing the program: The Chair helps adapt rules and procedures to changing circumstances while preserving the program’s fundamental values and principles.

- External representation: The Chair may represent WWBOTA at international amateur radio events, on committees, and before other organizations.

- Ensuring the values: A core task is to ensure that all activities and decisions are in harmony with the established WWBOTA values—from preserving historical heritage to promoting the amateur radio spirit.

The Chair’s specific tasks consist of two phases:

Phase 1: Leadership in Drafting the WWBOTA Statutes

In this phase, the Chair creates the democratic foundations for WWBOTA. The tasks are carried out in this order:

1. Revise the list with contact details of all national representatives to determine who is entitled to vote at all.

2. Prepare a proposal for WWBOTA Statutes.

3. Lead discussion of these statutes.

4. Lead the vote on the first democratically drafted WWBOTA statutes.

Phase 2: Leading WWBOTA

After the statutes are adopted, the Chair’s tasks are governed by the statutes and the input of the national representatives. Possible tasks include, for example:

- Put together a team for the individual areas such as website, finances, marketing, communications, etc., as provided for in the statutes.

- Lead votes on motions.

- Lead campaigns.

- Develop the annual program in collaboration with the national representatives.

- Organize surveys or polls if necessary.

The exact competences and procedures are democratically established in Phase 1. The tasks in Phase 2 are therefore not exhaustive but exemplary. The Chair ensures that the democratic framework is maintained and that the WWBOTA program is further developed in a coordinated manner.

Rules for the Election of the Chairman of the WWBOTA General Council

1 Scope

These Election Rules govern the procedure for the election of the Chairman of the WWBOTA General Council.

2 Right to Vote

Only the national representatives of WWBOTA are entitled to vote. Each representative has one vote.

3 Candidacy (1st Election Round)

(1) Candidacy must be submitted within 10 days in writing via WhatsApp in the Admin Chat. The deadline begins on 5 September and ends on 15 September at 23:59 UTC.

(2) In this round, only national representatives are eligible to stand for election.

(3) The candidacy must contain an express willingness to assume office. A brief introduction and an explanation of the reasons for standing as a candidate are expected.

4 Election Procedure (1st Election Round)

The election shall be conducted as an open written online election via WhatsApp.

(1) Several candidates:

If there are several candidates, a 7-day election period shall commence immediately after the end of the candidacy period.

The candidate with the most valid votes (relative majority) is elected. In the event of a tie for first place, a 7-day runoff election between the tied candidates shall be held immediately thereafter.

(2) Only one candidate:

That candidate shall be provisionally elected unless at least 5 representatives request a yes/no vote within a 7-day objection period (via WhatsApp).

• Start of the period: the day after the end of the candidacy period.

• If there are no objections or fewer than 5 objections → the candidate is finally elected.

• If there are 5 or more objections → an immediate 7-day yes/no vote shall be held. The candidate is elected if he or she receives more yes votes than no votes.

5 Second Election Round (if there are 0 candidates)

If no candidate stands in Round 1, a second 10-day period shall commence immediately thereafter.

In this round, not only representatives but all licensed amateur radio operators are eligible to stand as candidates. § 4 paragraphs 1 and 2 shall apply mutatis mutandis to the further procedure.

6 Third Election Round (Emergency)

If no candidate is found in Round 2 either, the election shall be suspended for six months – during this time WWBOTA shall remain without a Chair.

The period may be shortened prematurely as soon as a national representative declares willingness to stand as a candidate. The election committee shall then set a new 10-day period; the rules of the first election round (§§ 3–4) shall apply again.

7 Election Committee

(1) The election committee consists of Johann Furrer (coordinator) and Sylvia Stöckli (deputy).

(2) Members of the election committee are expressly permitted to stand as candidates.

(3) Safeguard clause: If a member of the election committee stands as a candidate, that member’s duties in the counting of votes for the relevant ballot shall be suspended. The counting shall then be carried out by the other member of the election committee.

(4) Duties of the election committee: receipt and verification of candidacies, conduct of the election, counting of votes, announcement of results, and administration of objection periods.

(5) In the event of ambiguities or gaps in these Election Regulations, the election committee shall decide at its duly exercised discretion.

Addendum

31st August 2026:

If a nation does not have its own representative, it may permanently delegate its vote. One person may represent a maximum of two nations.

See 3.3. Each national rep nominates himself/herself and adds an introduction and his/her reasons for standing as candiate.

1st September 2026:

If a representative does not have WhatsApp or cannot use it, they can vote by email: info@etzelfestung.ch

WWBOTA: Our Shared Values

These values are fixed and are not subject to change through the Governance Council. The Council may develop and amend the rules and procedures required to operate WWBOTA, but those rules must remain consistent with these fundamental values.

1. Our Origins

a) WWBOTA grew from the development of the Bunkers on the Air concept within national amateur radio communities.

b) The modern UKBOTA programme was revived in 2023, building renewed interest in combining amateur radio with the exploration and appreciation of bunker and fortification sites. The concept quickly demonstrated that there was an opportunity to connect operators not only within individual countries, but across national boundaries.

c) During 2024, the concept developed into Worldwide Bunkers on the Air (WWBOTA), with the aim of bringing national Bunkers on the Air schemes together within a common international programme and encouraging cooperation between them.

d) WWBOTA therefore recognises the contribution of the national schemes and communities from which the concept developed, while being clear that WWBOTA is an international programme in its own right.

e) The development of WWBOTA does not establish a hierarchy between national schemes. No national scheme is the parent or governing authority of another, and no country is entitled to determine how another national scheme operates simply because it participated earlier in the development of the concept.

f) The relationship between WWBOTA and its national schemes is one of cooperation, partnership and shared purpose.

g) National schemes retain their own identity, leadership and appropriate national autonomy, while contributing to the common international WWBOTA programme.

h)  From one idea to a worldwide community the history of WWBOTA is therefore not a story of one country directing others. It is the story of an idea that developed within a national community, demonstrated its potential, and was then expanded through the participation of operators and national schemes from around the world.

i) UKBOTA provided an important starting point. WWBOTA is the international community that grew from that idea.

j) WWBOTA exists to bring people together through amateur radio, while encouraging an appreciation of the bunkers and fortifications that form part of our shared history.

k) WWBOTA is more than an award or activity programme. It is an international community built around communication, heritage, cooperation and shared endeavour.

l) Our values define what WWBOTA stands for and provide the principles that guide the international programme, its national partners, its activators, hunters and those involved in its development.

2. Communication Without Borders

a) At its heart, WWBOTA is about bringing people together.

b) Amateur radio has the unique ability to connect people across national boundaries, cultures and languages. WWBOTA uses that ability to build connections between operators and communities around the world.

c) Bunkers were often constructed to defend borders, territories and nations. WWBOTA uses those same structures as a means of connecting people across the boundaries they once represented.

d) We believe communication should bring people together, not divide them.

3. Respect for Our Shared Heritage

a) Bunkers and fortifications are physical remnants of the conflicts, tensions and events that shaped the modern world.

b) From coastal defences and anti-aircraft positions to Cold War command centres and civil defence shelters, these structures form part of the historical landscape of the countries in which they exist.

c) WWBOTA seeks to promote interest in these places and encourage people to understand their history rather than simply treating them as activation locations or reference numbers.

d) Every activation is an opportunity to engage with history.

e) We encourage activators to know something about the bunker they visit, its purpose and its place in history.

4. International Cooperation

a) WWBOTA is an international programme, its strength comes from national schemes working together while contributing to one common worldwide activity.

b) The international tier exists to encourage cross-border activity, contacts between operators in different countries, activations across multiple nations and relationships between the worldwide bunker community.

c) We believe that cooperation between nations makes WWBOTA stronger than any individual national scheme could be alone.

d) Different nations, one shared programme.

5. National Identity and Autonomy

a) WWBOTA recognises that every country has its own history, geography, bunker landscape, operating environment and amateur radio community.

b) National schemes therefore need the freedom to develop activities and awards that reflect their own circumstances.

c) WWBOTA’s international framework does not seek to remove national identity. Instead, the international and national tiers should complement one another.

d) National schemes can be different while still contributing to the same worldwide programme.

e) National identity is a strength of WWBOTA, not a barrier to international cooperation.

6. Shared Endeavour, Not Competition

a) WWBOTA is not a competitive programme and never will be.

b) We do not exist to create league tables, rankings or competition between operators, activators or nations.

c) Numbers and awards can provide motivation, but they are not the purpose of WWBOTA.

d) Our emphasis is on participation, discovery, communication, cooperation and shared achievement.

e) Whether someone is activating their first bunker locally or making contacts across several continents, their contribution is part of the same worldwide activity.

f) WWBOTA is about what we achieve together, not who achieves the most.

7. Accessibility and Participation

a) WWBOTA should be accessible to everyone who wants to take part.

b) Our community includes people discovering bunker activity for the first time, experienced activators, hunters, historians, national scheme organisers and operators making contacts across continents.

c) The international programme should provide opportunities for participation at different levels of experience and ability.

d) We want people to be able to enter the WWBOTA community through their local national scheme while also having the opportunity to participate in the wider international programme.

e) There should always be a place in WWBOTA for the newcomer as well as the experienced operator.

8. Respect and Responsibility

a) Participation in WWBOTA carries responsibility.

b) We expect activators, hunters, national schemes and those involved in the administration of the programme to treat one another with respect and to act in the interests of the wider community.

c) WWBOTA depends on trust — trust between operators, trust between national schemes and trust in the people who participate in the programme.

d) That trust should not need to be replaced by unnecessary bureaucracy or excessive control.

e) We believe responsible participation, honesty and mutual respect are fundamental to the continued success of WWBOTA.

9. Trust

WWBOTA is built on trust.

a)  We trust our operators unless there is a reason not to. We do not build a system of suspicion around the actions of the majority because of the actions of a minority.

b) We trust our hunters and participants to act with integrity and to respect the spirit in which WWBOTA is intended to operate.

c) We trust our national schemes to manage their own communities responsibly and to uphold the common principles of WWBOTA.

d) Trust means that honesty and integrity are the starting point, not something that must be continually proven through unnecessary controls.

e) WWBOTA should not seek to impose systems or requirements designed to police participants simply because a small number of people may choose to act improperly. Where there is no evidence of wrongdoing, participants should be treated with trust and respect.

f) Equally, that trust carries responsibility. Deliberate dishonesty, falsification, abuse of the programme or actions intended to undermine confidence in WWBOTA damage the entire community and cannot be accepted.

g) We believe that a strong international programme is built on people doing the right thing because they value the community they belong to.

h) Trust is given with participation, maintained through integrity and strengthened by responsible behaviour.

10. Protecting the Future of WWBOTA

a) WWBOTA belongs to the worldwide community that participates in it.

b) Its future should not depend upon any single individual, national scheme or organisation.

c) We therefore value cooperation, transparency and good governance that allows WWBOTA to develop while protecting the principles that make it an international programme.

d) The decisions made today should protect the programme for those who participate in it tomorrow.

e) We are not simply building a programme for today; we are building something that can be enjoyed by future generations of radio amateurs.

What is WWBOTA?

Worldwide Bunkers on the Air (WWBOTA) is an amateur radio activity that brings together two powerful human instincts — the desire to communicate across borders, and the impulse to understand and preserve our shared history. Bunkers are among the most visceral physical remnants of the conflicts and tensions that shaped the modern world. From coastal fortifications to Cold War command centres, from anti-aircraft emplacements to civil defence shelters, they exist in almost every country — silent witnesses to moments of national and international significance. WWBOTA exists to draw attention to these structures, to promote interest in them as part of our collective heritage, and to connect the amateur radio community across the international boundaries that those bunkers were so often built to defend.

WWBOTA is not a competitive programme. We do not publish league tables or rankings. What we do is driven by the spirit of shared endeavour rather than a contest. WWBOTA is about more than numbers.

WWBOTA operates as a two-tier system. At the international tier, WWBOTA rewards and promotes cross-border bunker activity — contacts between operators in different countries, activations across multiple nations, and the building of relationships across the worldwide bunker community. At the national tier, affiliated schemes provide domestic awards and activities calibrated to the realities of their own country’s bunker landscape. Together, the two tiers form a complete ecosystem — one that welcomes the newest activator visiting their first local bunker, and the most experienced operator chasing contacts across continents.

Every activation is an act of historical engagement. We invite you to join us — and to know a little about the bunker you visit, not just its reference number.