My eldest brother went through the AM/SSB.....etc path in the 70's 80's and i followed him. AM didn't last long, wayyy too many tosspots and it just got worse and worse until it was worse than a kindergarten. (UHF these days is spoiled by this in metro areas still today). But SSB was great, sitting in dark shacks listening for that contact you grab, amazing how it closed the world up in times when it was so empty. By dear bro went the hog and got his amateur call and i followed with my novice at 15. Oddly though, got it around the wrong time when my interest started to wane so sitting in front of the big Kenwood and cranking the beam a few degrees or practicing your dots and dashes just didn't seem so much fun anymore, it's a pretty solitary thing
Still, can't let go of the UHF these days great outside metro areas especially when travelling, and closes up that space between you and people when it's all you got
Was interesting surfing EBay last night seeing a NOS old Hy-Gain AM...amazing stuff and memory twitchers