88 accord antenna

I have an 88 accord and the radio reception has gotten noticeably worse.
Almost as if the antenna was not connected. I checked the connection
and the antenna plug is firmly seated into the radio. I checked as much
of the wire as I could, and it looked fine. This car has the manual electric
antenna that is pretty far from the radio. Is there another connection
that might have come loose somehow? Is there a way to check the wire at the
end of the antenna to see if it is still connected to the antenna? TIA

 

Most likely, the insulation keeping the antenna isolated from the car
body has broken down. This grounds the antenna to ground thus rendering
it useless. I noticed this happens if it is pulled out too far. try
pushing the base in a small bit. Otherwise the insulator should be
replaced or bolstered somehow.