In case anyone has been reading this, I went to my Fry's store today and found an antenna from AudioVox for $40. Its magnetic and uses the same Amphenol connector as the one I unplugged in the truck compartment.

 

Old thread, I know... My radio has been doing the "Acquiring" thing for months and getting worse. I went a local car stereo shop to get an antenna, but they said if it was more than a few years old (the car is a 2007), they couldn't help because all the plugs on newer ones were different. Anybody know if that's true?

 

I don't know about the RX8 specifically, but I've been in the industry awhile. The antenna connection has never changed. It might have a plastic shroud around it that could have changed. But it's common place on the aftermarket scene to just pull the shroud off and insert the new antenna wire. We do it all the time when installing an aftermarket head unit with aftermarket sat radio, when the customer wants to reuse the factory OEM antenna. The base connector itself is the same.

Pull the headunit and have a look for yourself. Buy a spare antenna from Best Buy and return it if it doesn't match up. Like 20 bucks.

 

Good deal. I googled some pictures of the antennas and saw the little plastic covering. But if it's the same underneath, then I'm happy.
Also, I don't know that it's the antenna (figured I'd start there since it's cheap). Earlier in this thread, there's this mystery picture which is claimed as the culprit. But I went to a few radio parts sites (including the one linked) and didn't find anything that looked like it. Anybody have any info?
I just toasted the cat last night (thanks, son, for pulling the car out of the garage and flooding it...), so I'm not feeling like spending 200 for the OEM part radio part...

 

The antenna plugs into a box in your trunk. Its behind the cloth on the drivers side(LHD). The plastic part has changed over the years but the new one you can manhandle into the hole. The original was green I think but the newer ends are pink.
This is the one I used.

 

That antenna is only $16. Heck yes. Thanks for the tip. I just ordered one.