New set up

Got any experience *outside* a radio? What kind of vehicle is it installed in? Where is the antenna mounted, and with what kind of mount? What is your VSWR without the amp inline? If the VSWR is worse with the Bandit running, then the problem is in the amp. Most amps made for the illegal CB market have little or no input and output filtering, so they can put out all kinds of trash in-band and in several bands. If your modulation has been turned up to max (or if the limiter has been defeated with a quick snip), the barrage of wideband noise you're transmitting may be largely out of the frequency range your antenna is designed for. At that point, your antenna is working like a crude bandpass filter, rejecting the out-of-band energy from your radio (or amp) and correctly indicating a high VSWR. Always test VSWR with the radio alone. If it's bad barefoot, check the coax for shorts or open conductors. And if you don't have at least a dummy load and an oscilloscope (or, better, a spectrum analyzer) stop making *any* adjustments inside the radio and take it to someone who does.

That's just my two cents' worth,
73

 

With an swr or 3, I would suspect the location of the antenna and mount is in a poor place.

 

The little Will was doing better because it's was at a better location. The reason I know that is it's a mag mount.

 

Mag mounts are not necessarily better. They just tend to be at a good location.

 

If you are bent on using that amp, you should be willing to drill a hole in the top of the cab.