Modeling results are presented for a hydrogenlike fluorine soft x‐ray amplifier experiment performed at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory [Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion30, 35 (1988)] in which a gain coefficient of 4.4 cm−1was observed. Simulations using various values of the flux limiter,f(used to inhibit heat transport), and the amount of resonance absorption, RA, are compared to the experimental results. The maximum calculated gain coefficient is 2 cm−1forf=0.1 and RA=1%. For this choice of hydrodynamic modeling parameters the dependence of gain on intensity is in qualitative agreement with the experimental data. It is shown that the experiment can be modeled adequately in one dimension by comparing to a two‐dimensional calculation. The use of escape probabilities in an expanding cylindrical medium is discussed. General modeling techniques useful in modeling cylindrically symmetric systems are presented.