About 9M BOTA

9M BOTA (Malaysia Bunkers on the Air) is proudly part of the global WWBOTA initiative. This page explains how WWBOTA works and how you can get involved.

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 We do not publish league tables or rankings.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.

How to get started as a Bunker Activator

If your country already has a scheme that is part of WWBOTA then it is relatively straightforward.

• Check the country Bunkers on the Air website for information specific to the country you will activate in, for example any local variations to general rules and national scheme logging requirements (if applicable).
• You do not have to be resident in the country; if your licence permits you to operate in the country then you may operate as a visitor.
• To find suitable bunkers to activate, a good start point is the map and list on the WWBOTA website. Many thanks to Steve Hiscocks, M1SDH for the WWBOTA map.
• Many bunker activators enjoy, and are encouraged, to activate bunkers at the same time as references for other schemes, e.g. POTA.
• Each bunker reference begins with a 'B' and a '/' followed by a country code and then a four digit number. For example, the country code for Belgium is 'ON', so a typical bunker in Belgium will have a reference like 'B/ON-0123'.
• Most bunker operations centre on 40m and 20m SSB but other bands are increasingly popular, including the higher HF bands and also VHF and above. CW, FT8 and other modes are also popular - give it a go and call "CQ Bunkers on the Air". There have been bunker activations in SSB, CW, FT8, FT4, RTTY, PSK and SSTV.
• You will find it useful to spot yourself, or have someone spot you, when you activate. You can use the WWBOTA cluster, which requires registration to spot but not to view. Many activators also like the cluster version with the embedded fieldspotter.radio map by Ian Renton, M0TRT, which visualises WWBOTA spots as well as POTA and other schemes and provides a band map for finding other bunkers and having a bunker-to-bunker (B2B) QSO.
• Spots made on the WWBOTA cluster are automatically forwarded to the bespoke WhatsApp Spots and Alerts Group. That group is just for spots and alerts, not general chat.
• Self-spots, which are automatically forwarded to the WWBOTA cluster and the WhatsApp Spots and Alerts Group, may be made using the excellent Ham2K Portable Logger.

How to get started as a Bunker Hunter or SWL

All radio amateurs and shortwave listeners, worldwide, are very welcome to participate in WWBOTA as hunters (chasers) and to claim free awards.

• Find stations calling "CQ Bunkers on the Air" and work them. It is really that simple.
• For WWBOTA Award information, see the Awards page on the WWBOTA website.
• For national awards and any logging requirements, see the national scheme webpages. Note that not all national Bunkers on the Air members currently offer national awards.
• Consider using the WWBOTA cluster or fieldspotter.radio to help you find bunker activations. You do not need to register to view the WWBOTA cluster or fieldspotter.radio.
• Read the Bunker Activator guide - much of that information will also be useful to you.

If your country does not yet have a WWBOTA national scheme then, unfortunately, you are unable to participate as an Activator at the present time. However, you might consider volunteering to run a national scheme and get your country on the bunker map. All radio amateurs and listeners can participate in the WWBOTA scheme as hunters (chasers) irrespective of whether their country has a national bunkers scheme.

Our Mission

• Document and promote Malaysia's rich military heritage sites.
• Provide a national reference list of bunkers eligible for WWBOTA activations.
• Encourage safe, legal and respectful portable amateur radio operations.
• Build a community of activators, historians and radio amateurs.

Reference List

The 9M BOTA reference list currently includes 49 recognized sites across Malaysia:

• 38 sites in Peninsular Malaysia
• 11 sites in East Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak)

How to Activate

1. Choose a recognized 9M BOTA reference site from the bunker list.
2. Operate from public, accessible land near the bunker. Do not enter private or restricted areas.
3. Follow safety guidelines, local laws and respect property boundaries.
4. Make at least the minimum number of contacts required by WWBOTA and submit your log.

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