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They came to Chicago from all over the world -- top runners like Liliya Shobukhova of Russia, Mizuho Nasukawa of Japan and a whole crew of Kenyans. Flags and team clothing appeared like mini-UN gatherings on street corners. But while most media coverage had spent the previous week hyping and analyzing the 32nd Annual Chicago Marathon and the almost 35,000 runners, they were not really the big story.

ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, reports that the FT5GA operation on Glorioso Island -- September 14-October 8, 2009 -- has been approved for DXCC credit. Until this operation, Glorioso sat at number 4 on DX Magazine's Most Wanted list; five operators operating for 23 days made more than 50,000 QSOs to make this rare one available.

Sweet memories of that 11-day run of sunspots ending on the second day of this month will eventually fade. So far, the number of spotless days is seven -- or perhaps eight by later today -- with the last sunspot seen on October 1. A peek at the latest STEREO images shows two active areas in our Sun's southern hemisphere beyond our direct view, but it is hard to tell if these will emerge as sunspots when they appear over the eastern limb. A rough guess has the first one possibly emerging around October 10, with the second around a week later. Currently, the solar flux forecast shows flux values lower then 70 through October 15, then around 72 during the two-week period from October 16-30. The second spot is seen on the look-ahead image, and is passing into the invisible area, now slightly more than 60 degrees wide in latitude, or about one-sixth of the solar surface.

The follow-up e-mails that Surfin' generates often expand on the topics that Surfin' originally covered.

Sport Sort

ARRL Audio News--OPEN--In this edition . . .; Counterpart Bill to HR 2160 Introduced in Senate; FCC Fines California Firm $4000 for Operating on Amateur Frequencies; ARRL Audio News ID--Satellite Update--BREAK; Look for the November Issue of QST in Your Mailbox; Oldest National Amateur Radio Society Marks 100th Anniversary; Amateur Radio and Scouting: Scouting Jamboree on the Air (JOTA); ARRL Audio News--News Briefs--CLOSE

On Tuesday, October 6, Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), along with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), introduced Senate Bill 1755, The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009. Similar to HR 2160 -- also called The Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009 -- that was introduced this past April by Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX-18), the bill, if passed, would direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to undertake a study on emergency communications. S 1755 points out that "There is a strong Federal interest in the effective performance of Amateur Radio Service stations, and that performance must be given -- (A) support at all levels of government; and (B) protection against unreasonable regulation and impediments to the provision of the valuable communications provided by such stations."

October 17 and 18 will mark the 52nd worldwide Scouting Jamboree on the Air (JOTA). Held the third full weekend in October each year, this is the premier operating event for Amateur Radio and Scouting around the world.

NASA Astronaut Fernando “Frank” Caldeiro, KE4RFI, passed away on October 3 after a more than two year battle with a brain tumor. He was 51. Caldeiro was a member of the Astronaut Class of 1996 and most recently was assigned to the WB-57 High Altitude Research Program within the Aircraft Operations Division at Ellington Field in Houston. In that role, he directed the integration and conducted the operation of high-altitude atmospheric research experiments carried on board the NASA WB-57 aircraft. “Frank was a valued member of the astronaut corps and the Flight Crew Operations team,” said NASA’s Director of Flight Crew Operations Brent Jett. “He provided a wealth of experience and made significant contributions to the success of both the WB-57 project and the space shuttle program. He will be missed by all those who knew him at NASA. Our hearts go out to his family.” Caldeiro joined NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in 1991 as a cryogenics and propulsion systems expert for the safety and mission assurance office before being selected as an astronaut. There he also served as the executive staff assistant to the director of Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance. Caldeiro was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but he considered New York City and Merritt Island, Florida, to be his hometowns. He is survived by his wife, the former Donna Marie Emero of Huntington Beach, California, and two daughters.

The Fourth Annual ARRL On-Line Auction begins its preview week on Thursday, October 15. With more than 160 items up for bid -- and more being added every day -- this event promises to have something for just about everyone. The auction kicks off Thursday, October 22 and runs through Thursday, October 29 on the ARRL Web site.

On September 28, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) to a California firm that the Commission maintains was using amateur frequencies to conduct business. According to the Commission, Shimmick Construction Company Inc/Obayashi Corporation, Joint Venture ("Shimmick-Obayashi") -- licensees of stations WQER756, WQEN793, WQJI360 and WQKG818 -- apparently repeatedly violated Section 1.903(a) of the Commission's Rules "by failing to operate only in accordance with the rules applicable to their particular service as set forth in the Commission's Rules and with a valid authorization granted by the Commission."

The Ministry of Transportation in Ontario, Canada announced on September 30 that Bill 118 concerning distracted driving will take effect on October 26, 2009. According to Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Vice President for Public Relations Peter West, VE3HG, the new law makes it illegal for drivers to talk, text, type, dial or e-mail using handheld cell phones and other handheld communications and entertainment devices. Following a three-month period that begins October 26, the focus will be on educating drivers; police will start issuing tickets on February 1, 2010. “All two-way radios in all vehicles -- with the exception of emergency responding vehicles -- must be hands-free in three years time,” he posted on the RAC’s blog. “This news comes from the official government staffer who has been in communications with Radio Amateurs of Canada over the last year. At the end of the three-year exemption, all commercial, CB and Amateur Radio equipment used in moving vehicles by the vehicle operator must be hands-free in operation.”

In 2010, the Wireless Institute of Australia (WIA) -- the oldest national Amateur Radio society -- will celebrate its 100th anniversary. On March 11, 1910, the WIA had its beginnings when a group of wireless pioneers gathered at the Hotel Australia, Martin Place in Sydney. These early hams wanted to protect their interests and rights against what they considered to be harsh treatment by authorities -- and a high license fee. Chairman of the founding meeting, George Taylor, proposed "the formation of an institution amongst experimenters and enthusiasts in wireless for their mutual benefit." From that meeting, the Institute of Wireless Telegraphy of Australia -- later, the WIA -- was formed. Since its founding, the WIA has continued to protect and enhance the privileges of radio amateurs and to promote Amateur Radio in Australia and beyond.

The Annual Section Manager (SM) Workshop -- held September 25-27 -- afforded 12 newly elected SMs (including three that began their first terms of office on October 1) to visit ARRL Headquarters. During the extended weekend gathering, participants not only got to meet many Headquarters staff members, but also learned some of the ins and outs of how to become effective Section leaders and administrators. The primary purposes of the Workshop sessions were to share ideas and to provide basic administrative, management, leadership and motivational training.

Astronauts will be doing antenna work next month. A space shuttle crew will be installing several antennas on the new Columbus module on the International Space Station. Several of these will be Amateur Radio antennas.

This feature -- including convenient Web links to useful information -- is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment covers the month of September.

The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for September is Paul Danzer, N1II, for his article "A Simple Transformer to Measure Your Antenna Current." Congratulations, Paul! The winner of the QST Cover Plaque award -- given to the author or authors of the best article in each issue -- is determined by a vote of ARRL members on the QST Cover Plaque Poll Web page. Cast a ballot for your favorite article in the October issue by Saturday, October 31.

ARRL DXCC Manager Bill Moore, NC1L, reports that the current Angola operation -- D2QMN -- has been approved for DXCC credit. "If you had cards that were recently rejected for this operation, please send an e-mail to the ARRL DXCC Desk and you will be placed on the list for update," Moore said.

With the appearance of two sunspots, the past 11 days had some nice HF propagation. Combined with quiet geomagnetic conditions and month after month of quiet Sun, it seems quite a dramatic relief. Sunspot 1026 has faded away, and sunspot 1027 -- which appeared later than 1026 but actually led it in the Sun's rotation -- has just rotated out of view, over the Sun's western limb. You could see this early Friday morning by viewing the STEREO animation.

If you want to get serious about adding new ones to your DXCC count, Surfin' suggests one way to do it.