Morse is no longer required. I looked into it.Even bought me a talky.( You can get a cheap one for about 40 bucks. ) Then passed the General test. Just never finished registration and payment to the FCC for call letters.
To be serious you need room to install a couple different style antenna , Or at least be in an area without a lot of ground interference. Also if you don't have a good reception area and have the time you can travel to one and put up temporary antennas and camp out. I do not have that option, so put and end to those ambitions.
So I just use my talky to listen. I pick up the local repeater, plus a local fire and police "private band".
At certain times if I go to the hill at the club. I can even hold it sideways at night and pick up one side of the conversation from the space station. They talk to hamm guys, a lot of the astronauts and cosmonauts are hamms.
Now I have a GMRS license it is a lifetime deal. But line of sight local, or thru a high mounted repeater. We have a local repeater and a network. So talk to those fellows once a week. A couple are members of our gun club Have a couple talkies for that, use them at the club and when we go to a flee market or something
CB is previlant in our area so I have a few fellows I talk to on the way to work. Or when in my truck and they are on. Channel 32+ (side band)
I stay away from, 19 that is solely trucker now, only truck business, and they will just ignore you, or just crank on the lines and drown you out.