More information on ROC26 is coming soon!

Intro

Welcome to ROC26! “Rock Twenty Six”

The United Kingdom Bunkers on the Air (UKBOTA) Royal Observer Corps (ROC) 2026 Event (ROC26 for short) is a major event in the UKBOTA calendar.

Not only will ROC26 be our fourth ROC event, as UKBOTA, but it also marks our third birthday. UKBOTA, in its current form, was born on 1st October 2023 with the launch of the 2023 ROC event. 

The history of Bunkers on the Air (BOTA) of course goes back many decades (with thanks to many people, including Brian G8GMU and Chris M0DOL). From the very beginnings of BOTA, and now UKBOTA, it was always linked to remembering the important history of the ROC.

More information on the Royal Observer Corps can be found in the information section at the bottom of this page. The videos are worth a watch.

Duration

The ROC26 event runs throughout the entire month of October 2026

Valid bunkers for the ROC26 event are a subset of the UKBOTA Reference list. Only Royal Observer Corps HQ and Post references are valid for the ROC26 award.

For an explanation the term ‘Group Area’ please refer to the notes and references at the bottom of this page. For the purposes of ROC26 the valid bunkers are assigned to one of 25 Group Areas. The table below lists the ROC26 areas with their ROC Group Area code (3 letters), the ‘multipliers’ for this event are based on these 3 letter codes.

ROC26 Rules

For a QSO to be valid the minimum information to be exchanged is signal reports and callsigns. Activators are requested to state which bunker they are activating at frequent intervals, if not in every QSO. Many hunters have an interest in the ROC so it is always worth doing a little research about the bunker being activated in advance. All bands and modes are permitted, in accordance with individual licence conditions. Operation through repeaters or internet gateways is not permitted.

Notes:
1. If you do not wish to collect UKBOTA awards for ROC26 that is absolutely fine, just activate and hunt bunkers and have fun!

2. While only ROC bunkers count for the ROC26 Event and ROC26 Awards, all other UKBOTA bunkers remain ‘live’ and active for other Awards throughout October. Equally, other awards remain valid for both ROC and non-ROC bunkers throughout October 2026.

3. Where an ROC bunker is within activation zone of a reference for another awards scheme (e.g. POTA, WAB etc) you are encouraged to activate a multi-scheme activation. 

ROC26 Participation

  • Activators.   These are radio amateurs ‘activating’, i.e. transmitting from, a valid ROC26 bunker activation zone (see the list). All activators will be in the United Kingdom.
  • Hunters.  Hunters are radio amateurs who ‘chase’ the bunkers being activated, i.e. they chase the activators by making a QSO with them. A hunter may be anywhere in the world, provided they are a radio amateur and that they operate within the terms of their licence.
  • Short Wave Listeners (SWL).  SWL are welcome to participate in ROC26 by logging valid bunkers they hear on air. SWL may be anywhere in the world.

Find out more about the Royal Observer Corps (ROC)

 
 

Disclaimer

Safety

Publication of a bunker on the ‘valid’ list does not imply the bunker, or the surrounding area, is safe to activate from. All activators should conduct their own safety and risk assessment and never ‘go underground’ without taking appropriate precautions and without appropriate permission.

Right of Access

Publication of a bunker on the ‘valid’ list does not imply a right of access. Where an activator wishes to operate, or gain access to private land, permission should be sought from the appropriate landowner or their agent. Activators are advised to exercise caution around areas of restricted access. 

UKBOTA accept no responsibility or liability for issues arising from an activation, or any other activity related to the programme or event.

(C) UKBOTA 2026