Organisers are calling the event three days of history over ham radio. It's the annual Bunkers on the Air Bunkerfest, bringing hams and shortwave listeners closer to the national defence heritage of 23 nations around the world. Hams will be activating bunkers from 0000 UTC on the 24th of July through to 2359 on the 26th of July in the hopes of calling attention to fortifications and bunkers that have been used in more troubled times throughout various nations' history. Much of the operation will be done QRP. To encourage growth of the activity in new countries, radio operators will be encouraged to call CQ from bunker sites in countries that may not have joined the WWBOTA programme yet. WorldWide BOTA's continued growth enabled it to add the United States among its participating countries earlier this year.

Bunkerfest is also an educational opportunity for everyone. As noted on the event website [quote] "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." [endquote]

There are awards and other certificates of recognition but this is not a contest.

As always, the programme urges caution. Some bunker sites may still be deemed sensitive areas, so activators are encouraged to visit the BOTA website in each of their participating countries to determine the size of the activation zone in which permitted activations can occur without having to infringe on the bunker itself.

For more details about Bunkerfest, or to register and see the rules, visit the two websites listed in the text version of this week's newscast at arnewsline.org