(As are Freepers)
It is a great hobby, and can be extremely useful in emergency situations.
It is very inexpensive to get into as well. Just find a local Ham Club and you will discover, to your delight, that the members will come up with old equipment they will loan you to start out with or even more likely they will give freely to you.
It is no longer required of Hams that they be proficient in Morse code...but I recommend it be learned as it is a lot of fun and the best mode to use under bad band conditions.
It is unbelievable but there is actually a Morse code transceiver kit that you can buy on Ebay for 2.49 and that includes shipping! (They actually work!)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DIY-RADIO-40M-CW-Shortwave-Transmitter-QRP-Pixie-Kit-Receiver-7-023-7-026MHz-/142453520385?hash=item212ae43801:g:dsoAAOSwpjRZc0dG
These kits are great for learning Morse with a friend across town :-)
Feel free to FreepMail me any questions you have about Ham radio and I will do my best to help :-)