[amsat-bb] Travelling Rig

I have put together a rig for when I travel and have no room for an Arrow 2 antenna, which consists of a Kenwood TM-D710GA radio and a dual band, Comet, 5/8 wave whip antenna. This allows for a quick setup to work a bird from new grid squares, without disrupting the family. On our recent trip, this worked great for AO-91 and AO-92. However, I can't a signal from SO-50 with this rig, even with a preamp. Does anybody else use this radio on SO-50 and would you have any suggestions? I know it is not an ideal situation, but it may be the "only game in town" for some trips.  Brad Smith, KC9UQR