I agree with the previous post, but you also have some other options. Contact your local ham radio club and see which bands have the most activity. My particular area is heavy in two meters and 70cm, but other places are heavier in 220. If you buy a dual band 2M/70cm, you may be wasting your money if everyone is on 220 in your area. IF you find that 2m/70cm is strong in your area, a really cheap and easy way to listen is getting a Baofeng HT. The UV-5R has been discussed a lot on this forum. Easy to program with Chirp, and it's a free program. You can usually get the HT and programming cable shipped to your door for less than 50 bucks. Should you get your license, it's always good to have an HT!
BTW, the Kenwood TM-V71A is a really sweet dual band rig. I've really been enjoying mine for the last couple of months.
73,
RT307