[amsat-bb] Circular Polarization vs. Preamps

[Fred Castello]

Folks,

I have now finally become active again on some of the satellites with a handheld Arrow and my bulky but beloved Kenwood TS-790A.  See my QRZ page for picture of how I have it setup outside when I operate.  I am trying to put together a more permanent antenna system within my budget.  I have been rather surprised how much fade is apparent in some of the birds which responds usually to some degree by twisting the axis of the Arrow antenna.  So, my question is as follows:

Would you rather have:

A)     The ability to switch polarization, presumably from RHCP to LHCP (or maybe even vertical to horizontal)? Unfortunately my research shows to date that this option is still rather expensive.  Any suggestions on how to achieve this on a modest budget would be appreciated.

 OR

B)     A reasonable preamp on both 2 meters and 70 cm?  (I have never worked with a preamp yet-though I have ordered the "Original Broadband Satellite RX Preamp” from the AMSAT store and plan on using that and switching it manually depending on what bird I am using into the receive side).
For information, I will have about 70 feet of feedline.

Assuming that one cannot have both.
As usual, I really appreciate your time and input.
Best,
Fred-KF4FC
Fishersville, VA