Well a J-pole *should* work to some extent ... I've
used my handheld standing in a parking lot to
listen to AO-27 and UO-14.
I ended up building my own "arrow" clone crossed
yagi complete with diplexer for use on the fm birds.
That was a fun little project.
As has been mentioned elsewhere, probably the best
place to start is at
http://members.aol.com/k5oe/ ...
Jerry has done a magnificent job of experimenting
and documenting various antenna systems. Look
for his 70cm Handi-tenna for a quick portable solution,
or just build an eggbeater for a fixed antenna.