I think the root of my radio not working is just that my power antenna doesn't go up although the radio seems to turn on. Maybe this is a common issue but maybe not.
In looking for replacements I found 2 from Partsgeek: one around 75 and one around 200 and one on eBay for about 50.
I want to save as much money as I can, the 200 looks like a direct replacement, the 75 I am unsure about, and the 50 looks like a general antenna and would probably need to be wired in. Basically do the 50 or 75 look like they would be worth it or should I bite the bullet and get the 200 one.

https://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/19...=power_antenna

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Replacement...a4a91ab02aaadf

 

If it's the factory antenna - the antenna mast is replaceable separately - They cost about $12 for an aftermarket mast and quite a bit more for the factory mast. I've replaced hundreds and can take up to 10 minutes to do (if you have to get the broken cable out of the gear)

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vol...UaAtplEALw_wcB

Or you could find a generic manual aftermarket antenna that bolts onto the fender and pushes all the way down for car washes - I used to sell them for $14.95 - And looks like you still can find them for that!

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/metra-u...&ref=212&loc=1

 

How do I know if I only need to replace the mast? Also, could you briefly explain how the antenna extends so I can understand it better?

 

Look at the mast picture from FCP - the white plastic cable with teeth cut into it inside the mast pushes it up and down, it gets reeled up into the round part of the antenna at the bottom - It has 12 v going to it all the time and a signal wire that's attached to the antenna cable tells it to go up and down 12v= go up, nothing=go down - if it does not make noise you may not have 12v or a no signal (or no ground< but it grounds through the antenna mounting) or a bad antenna motor -

If you have a mast you can pull it up manually to see if that's your radio problem - Or FM will work on strong stations without an antenna -