Rob,

As was pointed out, there are many options. Having been active on
satellites for 20+ years, I would recommend that you look at the SSB
Electronics units http://www.ssbusa.com/gaasfet.html and the ARR units
http://www.advancedreceiver.com/page2.html in that order. If you took
a poll of AMSAT members, I would be amazed if between the 2 they did
not constitute 75% or more used. Both do well in high noise areas.
The SSB units have some additional filtering, and adjustable gain.

While they are no longer sold in this country, if you come across a
Landwehr unit, it would be worth considering. My 2 meter unit keeps
on ticking 21 years later.

One thing to avoid is the units sold by major manufacturers such as
Icom. They probably have some use, somewhere, but for satellite ops
they soon get replaced as they have poor noise figures.

Finally, it is tempting to go with an RX-only unit. You will want the
capability to both receive and transmit on both antennas, which pretty
much means a switched unit, or some fancy relays. If you have short
runs of high quality cable, you can probably get by on 2 meters with a
unit in the shack. A mast mount is better, but for most things, one
in the shack, with the above qualifications, is good enough. The 70
cm unit need to be mounted remotely.




--
Alan
WA4SCA