A dummy load has very low SWR across LOTS of channels, but it doesn't get very far. ..
good to know. i'm not going to deny that i'm a newb to radios. I did however, try the skipshooter on good recommendation from some pretty knowledgeable folks. I had tried a Firestick, a Wilson (Fibreglass), and the skipshooter. The skipshooter did perform the best overall with decent range and better ears. I 'did' think that antenna efficiency had to do with low SWR but, as you can see, I have more learning to do.
I was out a bit ago and tried shouting to Coyote....will try again later.