Welcome!

If you’ve found your way here, we probably share the same passion: real radio – the kind made of signals crossing the world, of voices meeting without ever having seen each other, of bits travelling without physical networks.

My name is Giorgio Rutigliano, callsign I8ZSE, and I’ve been a radio amateur since the 1970s. My first encounter with amateur radio dates back to 1972, and since 1974 this passion has been a red thread running through my entire life.

From the very beginning, I enthusiastically embraced digital modes. I started with RTTY and packet radio, building “open” software and hardware long before anyone used that word – it was simply the best way to share what you knew. In the 1980s I helped build the first Italian NET/ROM network and connected my packet BBS to FidoNet, creating one of the earliest bridges between the world of dial – up BBSes – which I had just introduced in Italy – and that of digital radio communications. Today I continue experimenting with PSK31, FT8, and anything that brings radio and computing together.

My radio philosophy comes from the Unix world and can be summed up in four words: keep it simple, stupid (KISS). I love experimenting, but lightly: essential systems, low power, no unnecessary complications. Partly out of necessity – I don’t have space for large directional antennas – but also as a matter of style. I rarely exceed 10 watts, yet those few watts have carried my signal to colleagues in every corner of the planet.

My main station reflects this spirit: a Yaesu FTdx – 1200, a Comet CHA – 250, a trusty ThinkCentre M91 still doing its job, and strictly home – built digital interfaces.

With this simple but honest setup I earned the DX Century Club Award, having contacted over 200 countries. But what truly matters to me isn’t collecting confirmations – it’s the quality of the contact, the human exchange that every QSO can still represent, and the curiosity to try something new.

There’s also the social side of this hobby. In November 1980, during the earthquake that struck Irpinia and Basilicata, I took part in emergency radio operations, helping maintain rescue communications during one of the most challenging and meaningful moments for our amateur radio community.

For over forty years I was a member of ARI, I am listed in the Roll of Honour, and I helped found the Potenza Section. Over time, however, I felt a growing difference in vision: unlike top – down structures, I believe in a participatory, horizontal form of amateur radio, close to the free and collaborative spirit of open – source communities. Despite some disappointments, I still deeply believe in the value of association and sharing.

If we’ve made contact and you’d like my QSL, you can find me on LoTW and eQSL. For those who still love the magic of a paper card, I’ve created a small QSL server: just click here – or on the menu item – enter your callsign, and download the PDF of my traditional QSL. A gesture with the scent of “old – school” amateur radio.

This site is a work in progress. Time is what it is, but I plan to enrich it little by little with useful or curious content – maybe something that inspires someone to try something new. With the hamlinux project, I wanted to continue my lifelong path of building bridges: between radio and computing, between tradition and innovation, between people who share the same curiosity and desire to experiment.

I’d like to close with a thought that has always accompanied me: amateur radio is not just a hobby. It is a community, a way of sharing knowledge, experiences, mistakes, and successes. I’m always happy to lend a hand to anyone who loves radio as much as I do.

73, and good DX – or good listening – to all.

Giorgio, I8ZSE [I8‑20981]