K7JQ:
The two receiver option is good for contesters monitoring a second band for openings and activity, and working SO2V. For the casual non-contesting ham on somewhat of a budget, the $$ spent on a two-receiver radio might best be put towards the antenna. IMO, many hams grossly over-buy a radio for their casual operations. But if money isn't an object, what the heck...go for it!
I'd definitely recommend a band scope. Big difference between it and tuning round blind.
Couldn't agree more with you: I had a second receiver for a long time and realized that I never used it. In 2020 a band scope is non-negotiable, it is just so convenient.
I must say, in aparte, that I have been very surprised, since I have been a member of Eham by the number of hams who are ready to spend $$$$ on transceivers with remarkable DR3 performance and connect them to a long-wire antenna or a vertical antenna.
That sort of money is much better spent on a good tower and a Yagi (or any directional antenna with gain, a Quad, whatever) and then whatever is left should go into the transceiver and not the other way round.
Then, clearly, the money one needs to spend on a good tower (including the foundations) and a tri or tetra-band from a reputable manufacturer will easily be 3-4 time what one spends on a transceiver, so maybe that is why. But the choice remains an irrational one ( I can only drive at 55mph, but I' still buy that Porsche!)
I can say in the forty-five years or so I have been involved in HF that the biggest differences I have noticed in reception always came from antennas and never from receivers.
I think every single radio I have ever had has had some defects (poor ergonomics, overloading, ringing filters, bad DSP, you name it) and you generally can work with it or live with it, but if you don't have a good antenna and it is not at reasonably high up, you may have the best radio on the market you won't hear a thing!
For those who are interested, the ARRL has a nice little brochure: "Antenna Height and Communications Effectiveness" with some interesting graphs illustrating elevation response patterns in function of height.
So the best advice I can provide to beginners is : forget about the latest transceiver, first, get the best directional antenna you can afford and put it up as high as you can without running into trouble (with the neighbors, the council and what not) and then see about getting whatever transceiver you can afford (and, ideally, try to live next to the ocean!)