Bunker events in the height of summer

The first Swiss Outdoor Radio Activity Week, running from 24 July to 2 August 2026, is drawing radio amateurs to their radio transceivers and into the Alps – but that’s not all.

The Swiss HBBOTA programme is new and needs to make its mark. That’s why the organisers are sending the community to the country’s fortifications this summer. The aim is simple: hunters and activators are to log Swiss bunkers in their logbooks.

WWBOTA

The campaign is launching on an international scale. From 24 to 26 July 2026, WWBOTA is organising the global Bunkerfest. Radio amateurs from neighbouring European countries are on the lookout for contacts with the Swiss installations.

Anyone wishing to score points here must know the rules of the game. For the WWBOTA Award, only one bunker counts at any one time. Radio contacts from bunker to bunker promise a high success rate over these three days, as the European sub-groups will fan out in a coordinated manner.

HBBOTA

Following the international kick-off comes the national extension. The organisers have deliberately extended the week of activity to cover the National Day and run until 2 August. During the actual HBBOTA weekend on 1 and 2 August, the focus of radio operations will be on combining various diplomas.

Sylvia HB9INY highlights some logistical highlights: there are locations in Switzerland where operators can simultaneously earn points for SOTA, POTA and BOTA using a single antenna setup. A mountain peak situated in a nature reserve and home to an old military fortress makes this triple activation possible.

Details on the website

Anyone looking for the locations of these combined zones or wishing to study the exact award conditions will find the details on the BOTA website. The operators are constantly updating the data lists and activation guidelines.