WeekendBlast – UKBOTA

RUNS MONTHLY WHERE NO DEDICATED UKBOTA EVENT IS SCHEDULED

⚡ Quick Start

Score = 1 point per unique station worked (callsign for Activators, UK activator for Hunters), +1 for each extra band, +1 for each extra mode.
Modes: SSB, CW, FT8, FM and RTTY always count — plus PSK31 and Hellschreiber for July.
+1 bonus point for every 6m SSB QSO this month — applies to both roles.
Climb the tiers from Bronze to Master (Activators and Hunters score separately), and your points also feed the new Annual Accumulator award.

For Activators

Pick one UKBOTA bunker as your base for each day — same bunker all weekend, or a different one each day, your choice. Activate, log contacts, repeat.
+2 per Bunker-to-Activator (B2A) contact, and +20 for activating a bunker you've never activated before (once per bunker, per event).

For Hunters

Work UKBOTA activators over the weekend from anywhere — no base bunker needed. The more bunkers, bands and modes you chase, the higher your score.

Activators

From the bunker

The aim: To work as many stations as possible, scoring bonuses for B2A (Bunker to UKBOTA Activator), different bands and modes.

Choose one UKBOTA-registered bunker as your base for each day of the long weekend. You can activate the same bunker across all three days, or pick a different bunker for each day — the choice is yours. Your score for each day is built entirely from that day's chosen bunker.

ℹ️ You may activate other bunkers during the weekend for standard UKBOTA award purposes, but only contacts made at your chosen Blast bunker for that day count towards your Weekend Bunker Blast score.

ℹ️ One bunker per day. The bunker you use can change from day to day — each day is scored independently against whichever bunker you activated that day.

⚠️ Each unique callsign + band + mode combination can only be scored once per day. For example, if you work M0XYZ on 40m SSB twice on Saturday, only the first contact scores. However, working M0XYZ on 40m SSB again on Sunday counts as a new contact for that day. To earn additional points from the same station on the same day, work them on a different band or mode.

// Scoring

Point per unique callsign worked

For each additional band used to work that callsign

For each additional mode used to work that callsign

+2
For each UKBOTA Bunker-to-Activator (B2A) QSO worked — applies per band and mode B2A Bonus
Note: if the worked station is activating multiple bunkers (e.g. a 3-fer), only one bunker counts for the +2 B2A bonus. Each activator worked scores only once per day, per band and per mode, for these B2A points irrespective of how many bunkers you or they activate on that day.

+20
For activating a personal ATNO (All Time New One) bunker — a bunker you have never activated before ATNO Bonus
Note: this bonus is scored once per unique personal ATNO across the whole event, not once per day. If you activate the same personal ATNO on more than one day of the weekend, the +20 is only awarded once. If you activate a different personal ATNO on another day, that scores its own +20.

+1
For each valid 6m SSB QSO worked 6m Bonus — Jul 26

// Awards

Accumulated points total across all 3 days

Bronze

points

Silver

points

Gold

points

Platinum

100

points

Diamond

150

points

Master

200

points

Hunters / SWL

Chasing bunkers

The aim: To work as many UKBOTA activators as possible, scoring bonuses for different bands and modes.

Work UKBOTA bunker activators over the weekend from any location. The more bunkers, bands, and modes you chase, the higher your score.

⚠️ Each UK bunker activator + band + mode combination can only be scored once per day. For example, if you work a UK activator on 20m FT8 twice on Saturday, only the first contact scores. However, working the same UK activator on 20m FT8 again on Sunday counts as a new contact for that day. To earn additional points from the same bunker on the same day, work it on a different band or mode.

ℹ️ If an activator is operating from multiple bunkers simultaneously (e.g. a 3-fer), only one point is scored for that callsign + band + mode combination — the number of bunkers they are activating does not affect your score.

1 point per UK activator worked

For each additional band used to work that UK activator

For each additional mode used to work that UK activator

+1
For each valid 6m SSB QSO worked 6m Bonus — Jul 26

// Awards

Accumulated points total across all 3 days

Bronze

points

Silver

points

Gold

points

Platinum

points

Diamond

points

Master

points

⚠️ Hunter tiers revised from July 2026 onwards (Diamond 40→35, Master 50→40). This change is not retrospective — results from previous events are unaffected.

Valid Modes

All categories

The following modes are valid for the Weekend Bunker Blast. Contacts made on any other mode will not count towards your score.

SSB, CW, FT8, FM and RTTY are constant every month. Two additional modes rotate monthly — for July 2026 these are PSK31 and Hellschreiber.

SSB

Single Sideband

Frequency Modulation

Morse Code

RTTY

Data Mode

PSK31

Phase Shift Keying

FT8

Weak Signal Digital

HELL

Hellschreiber

ℹ️ Rotating modes may change again in future months — check back before each event for that month's pairing.

📡 6m Bonus — July 2026: both Activators and Hunters score an extra +1 point for every valid 6m SSB QSO worked, on top of all other scoring — get on 6m and chase Sporadic-E! SSB only for this bonus — 6m FT8 openings are common enough that SSB is where the real challenge (and reward) is.

Weekend Warrior

Special Award

A special award available to those who achieve Master level on three or more Weekend Bunker Blast events across the 2026 series.

ℹ️ Activators may return to the same bunker each weekend or may choose a different bunker each weekend — the choice is theirs.

Activator

Weekend Warrior

Master × 3 weekends

Hunter

Weekend Warrior

Master × 3 weekends

Annual Accumulator

New for 2026

A new award tracking points accumulated across every Weekend Bunker Blast event over the course of the year (a short year for 2026, running from the first event to the last).

ℹ️ Annual tier thresholds are set at 5× the corresponding monthly tier, minus 20%. First Annual Accumulator awards will be available shortly after the final Weekend Bunker Blast event of 2026.

// Activator — Annual Tiers

Bronze

100

points

Silver

200

points

Gold

300

points

Platinum

400

points

Diamond

600

points

Master

800

points

// Hunter — Annual Tiers

Bronze

points

Silver

points

Gold

points

Platinum

120

points

Diamond

140

points

Master

160

points

Scoring Tips

Strategy

A few pointers to help you maximise your Weekend Bunker Blast score.

◆

Each new day of the 3-day long weekend resets the slate — you can work the same stations again, so every day is a fresh opportunity to build your score.

◆

This event rewards band and mode agility, not just raw QSO count — limiting yourself to a single band and mode like 40m SSB will leave points on the table.

◆

Work the same station on a different band or different mode and it scores again — chasing new AND mode combinations is where the big points are.

◆

Getting to Master by camping on 40m SSB will be tough, as it would be just camping on 20m FT8. Variety = top points ... don't be a camper, go explore bands and modes and have a blast!

◆

Planning and preparation pays off! Which bands are likely to have the best propagation? What antenna and band options do you have available? Can you gain extra points from digital modes like FT8 or datamodes like RTTY?

IMPROVISE ◆ ADAPT ◆ OVERCOME