Definition of an Eligible Tower (TOTA)

To be included in the TOTA – Towers On The Air programme, a structure must meet the following conditions:

1️⃣ Permanent structure
The structure must be a permanent construction fixed to the ground.

2️⃣ Man-made construction
The structure must be built by humans. Natural formations alone are not considered towers.

An exception may apply where a natural feature includes a permanent viewing structure (e.g. a viewing platform, but not merely a safety railing) intended for visitors.

3️⃣ Viewing function
The structure must provide a view of the surrounding landscape.

• tourist observation tower
• historic tower used as a viewpoint
• park observation tower
• modern lookout structure

4️⃣ Public accessibility
The tower must be accessible to the public permanently, seasonally, or occasionally.

5️⃣ Independent structure
Communication towers, radio masts or water towers without a viewing platform are not considered towers.

Usually not eligible:

• natural viewpoints without construction
• radio masts without viewing platform
• water towers without viewing function
• temporary structures

Individual assessment
Some structures may be accepted after individual evaluation.

Submitting new tower proposals
Suggestions can be sent to info@wwtota.com or directly to national TOTA coordinators.

Basic Rules

1. Contacts can be made on all amateur radio bands using any mode of operation.
2. To be valid for the award, the operator must transmit from the lookout tower or within a maximum distance of 200 meters from the tower.
   (Applies to activators.)
3. Contacts made via active terrestrial repeaters are not allowed. Contacts via amateur satellites are permitted.
4. The QSO must include call sign, report, name, and QTH (it is recommended to give the name and reference of the lookout tower – not required in contests or when operating abroad).
   Name and QTH are not required in CW.
   However, the activator must include the lookout tower reference in the log submitted to wwtota.com
5. Contacts with the same station may be repeated, but only from a different tower (the combination of Tower / Activator / Hunter must be unique).
6. Contacts from newly built towers are also valid, provided they are added to the official list of towers. A request to add a tower can be sent
   to the award manager via email at info@wwtota.com – the tower will then be included in the list.
7. Contacts count towards the diploma from August 1, 2025 (OK) or from December 1, 2025 (OM).
8. QSOs for the diploma will be counted from the announcement date, i.e. from August 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025. In the following years,
   they will be counted annually from January 1 to December 31, or without a time limit, depending on the diploma variant.
9. On August 1, 2025, a WhatsApp group called "OK Rozhledny" will be launched. After registration at wwtota.com,
   HAM operators will be able to join the group via a link in the Service section. In urgent cases, group membership can be requested by email
   to info@wwtota.com (please include your call sign and phone number registered on WhatsApp).
   This group is intended mainly for activation-related information (self-spotting).
10. Activations of towers may be combined with other programs such as WWFF, GMA, SOTA, POTA, BOTA and others.

The diploma will be awarded separately for HF and VHF in the following categories:
● Activator – person transmitting from the lookout tower
● Hunter – person calling the lookout tower
in the following variants:
● Sprint – yearly points evaluation
● Alltime – overall points total (no time limit)
● Special – uniquely activated lookout towers

Recommendation:
● Recommended calling frequency for the 2m band – 145.525 MHz; on HF bands, use the usual segments for portable activities (40m - 7.032 / 7.118 MHz).
● Recommended calling format: on CW “CQ TOTA”, on SSB and FM “Towers On The Air call”, or shortened as “TOTA call”.
● For logging (log preparation), the Fast Log Entry (FLE v3) has been tested using the POTA setting – in this configuration, it "supports" the format of the lookout tower reference number. The resulting .adi file can be imported directly into the logs section here under Upload.
● Also tested is PoLo – Portable Logger using the POTA setting. The resulting .adi file is likewise importable here without modification.

Request:
● When creating the lookout tower database, I used many sources (there is no comprehensive and reliable list), and some towers we visited personally with my XYL. However, we keep discovering new ones. If you come across a tower that is missing from the database (and surely there are many), please write to info@wwtota.com and I will gladly add it (so it can be activated later).
● If you encounter an error – for example, during log import – please let me know as well. Although ADIF is a defined format, every application generates it slightly "its own way", and these differences need to be handled – thank you.

Scoring of contacts

• Activator
  • To qualify as a valid activation (for the Special diploma), the following minimum is required:
    • VHF category – 3 valid QSOs
    • HF category – 13 valid QSOs
  • A contact from an activated lookout tower = 1 activation point (for Sprint and Alltime diplomas)
  • Multiple activations of the same tower are allowed, but scoring requires a unique combination of Tower / Activator / Hunter.
  • Only on VHF the requirement applies for a unique combination of Tower / Activator / Hunter / Band
  • A unique activation counts towards the Special diploma – meaning the simple number of different activated lookout towers.
• Hunter
  • 1 unique QSO (Tower / Activator / Hunter) = 1 point
  • For the Special diploma – the number of hunted (worked) different lookout towers.
• Other
  • Contact with the diploma issuer OK2IH or pilot station "TOWER" OL1TWR = 5 points (for both activators and hunters)
  • Tower-to-Tower contact = 3 points

Conditions for obtaining a diploma

Activator
1. Sprint – the diploma will be awarded for 50, 100, 200, 500 points from tower activations in a calendar year (2025, 2026, 2027,...)
2. Alltime – the diploma will be awarded without time limit for reaching 100, 200, 300, 500 points
3. Special – the diploma will be awarded without time limit for activating 100, 200, 300, 500 towers
Hunter
1. Sprint – the diploma will be awarded for 50, 100, 200, 500 points from tower activations in a calendar year (2025, 2026, 2027,...)
2. Alltime – the diploma will be awarded without time limit for reaching 100, 200, 300, 500 points
3. Special – the diploma will be awarded without time limit for making contact with 100, 200, 300, 500 unique towers

Once a diploma worth 500 points is awarded in any category, new levels will be added in multiples of 500.

After a successful activation of a tower, the activator uploads or enters the LOG of contacts (after registration) at wwtota.com in the Upload section,
or in an emergency, it can be sent preferably in ADIF format to info@wwtota.com

After a successful QSO with a station transmitting from a tower, the hunter does not need to do anything – points are assigned automatically
(after the activator uploads their logbook to the website) and the hunter will see them after logging in to wwtota.com in the Diplomas section,
where a PDF version of the diploma can also be downloaded.

📡 New R2R Awards – Tower to Tower

From January 1, 2026, new R2R (Tower to Tower) awards are introduced within the Czech and Slovak Towers program. These awards are granted for unique contacts between two different towers, where both operators are transmitting from a tower.

R2R awards are issued in two categories:
• Yearly (Sprint) – contacts made within a single calendar year
• Alltime – without any time limitation

Awards are issued in Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels according to the number of unique R2R contacts.

Requirements – Yearly (Sprint):
Bronze – 25 contacts
Silver – 50 contacts
Gold – 75 contacts

Requirements – Alltime:
Bronze – 50 contacts
Silver – 100 contacts
Gold – 200 contacts

Only unique tower ↔ tower combinations are counted. All contacts must be properly logged in the TOTA system and made in accordance with valid amateur radio regulations.

ADI log of the Activator

	The log must contain at least:
QSO_DATE	YYYYMMDD date when the QSO started
TIME_ON	HHMM or HHMMSS in UTC
BAND	QSO Band
MODE	QSO Mode
RST_SENT	signal report sent
RST_RCVD	signal report received
CALL	callsign of the other station
STATION_CALLSIGN	own callsign (used in QSO)
MY_SIG	my activity – TOTA
MY_SIG_INFO	my TOWER reference – OKR-1001
	Optional fields:
SIG	activity of the other station (TOTA, WWFF, GMA, SOTA, BOTA, WCA, ...)
SIG_INFO	TOWER reference number of the other station (for Tower-to-Tower)
OPERATOR	operator callsign

Club and special call signs

TOTA also allows activations under club (collective) and special call signs. These call signs have their own separate registration in the TOTA system and are not alternative call signs (alt_call) of another user.

Registration of a club call sign

A club call sign is registered in the TOTA system by one person authorized by the club, who is responsible for managing the registration and the related logs. Different club members may activate under the club call sign.

Registration of a special call sign

A special call sign is registered by the TOTA National Coordinator of the respective country. A special call sign may be used, for example, for joint, promotional, anniversary or other special activities. During one event it may be used by several operators and for activations of different towers.

Basic activation principle

For QSO records, the decisive call sign is always the call sign actually used on the air for the contact. TOTA distinguishes between the call sign used on the air, the reference of the activated tower and the actual operator who made the contact. This allows a QSO to be recorded under a club or special call sign while the activator points can be credited to the actual operator.

Example:
Call sign used on the air: AM26DARK
Activated tower: EAR-xxxx
Actual operator: EA1FNT
The QSO will be recorded in the TOTA database under the call sign AM26DARK, while the activator points will be credited to the operator EA1FNT.

ADIF log

For correct processing of an activation under a club or special call sign, the standard ADIF fields are used:

• STATION_CALLSIGN – the call sign actually used on the air
• MY_SIG_INFO – the reference of the activated TOTA tower
• OPERATOR – the personal call sign of the actual operator

<STATION_CALLSIGN:8>AM26DARK
<MY_SIG_INFO:8>EAR-xxxx
<OPERATOR:6>EA1FNT

STATION_CALLSIGN must always contain the call sign actually used on the air for that QSO. MY_SIG_INFO must contain the reference of the tower from which the QSO was made. The OPERATOR field identifies the actual operator and allows the activator points to be credited to that operator.

If one club or special call sign is used by several operators during a joint activity, or if it is used from several towers, the OPERATOR and MY_SIG_INFO values for each individual QSO must always correspond to the actual operator and the tower actually activated.

Uploading the log to TOTA

The log of an activation under a club or special call sign can be uploaded in two ways:

• after logging in to the separate registration of the club or special call sign – this method allows a common log containing QSOs made by several operators, as well as QSOs from activations of different towers, to be uploaded,
• after logging in to the operator’s personal account – this method can only be used for QSOs where the OPERATOR field matches the logged-in user.

If an ADIF file contains QSOs made by several different operators, it must therefore be uploaded through the registration of the club or special call sign. For each QSO, MY_SIG_INFO and OPERATOR must be specified correctly.

An individual operator may, on the other hand, upload from their personal account a log of QSOs made under a club or special call sign, provided that they are specified as OPERATOR for those QSOs. It is therefore not necessary to log in under the club or special call sign solely for such an upload.

In both cases, activator points are assigned according to the OPERATOR field. If OPERATOR is not specified, the points are credited to the call sign given in STATION_CALLSIGN.

Crediting activator points

A QSO is always recorded under the call sign specified in STATION_CALLSIGN. If the OPERATOR field is present in the ADIF record, the activator points are credited to the call sign specified in that field. If OPERATOR is not specified, the activator points are credited to the call sign specified in STATION_CALLSIGN.

The OPERATOR field is therefore optional. It is needed when the activator points should be credited to the actual operator instead of the club or special call sign.

Important: The call sign specified in the OPERATOR field does not replace the call sign used for the contact. For example, if the QSO was made under AM26DARK, STATION_CALLSIGN must contain AM26DARK. The personal call sign of the actual operator is specified only in the OPERATOR field. The same QSO must not be uploaded again under the operator’s personal call sign merely because that operator is specified in the OPERATOR field.

Diploma samples

Diplomas for HF Activators