[amsat-bb] Fixed antenna for ISS reception?

[Gordon J. C. Pearce MM3YEQ]

At the moment I've been receiving the SSTV and voice signals from the
ISS with a homebrew omni on a pole in my back garden.  I don't really
have the room to put up a tower, and since the house is rented I suspect
the landlord would have some pithy words to say about digging up a chunk
of the garden and pouring a plinth.

How well would an aerial with a cardioid pattern such as an HB9CV work?
Since the ISS is never much above 30 degrees this far north (IO75) I
doubt I'd need to worry about elevation.

How well would just adding a 144MHz preamp to the omni work?

How have other people solved this, without recourse to big rotators and
things?

Gordon