AM Static

[Buchholz, Steven]

> Since I have the wagon, it has the roof-mounted combo
> radio/cellular whip antenna.

...aha, a useful tidbit of information!  I thought we were talking about the
window-mounted antennae.  In your case it may very well be that there is a
problem with the whip itself.  Underneath the flexible coating the antenna
lead is wrapped to form a coil ... and if the coating cracks the conductors
can corrode and break.  A careful inspection of the whip should show this if
it is what has happened.  Another possibility would be to see if you can
find another Avant owner who would be willing to swap whips with you for a
test.  Given that the majority of the base is shielded by the body of the
car the whip really needs to be working well for the antenna to operate
properly.  

HTH!
Steve Buchholz
San Jose, CA (USA)