what you did to the antenna, is not a very good idea. you removed the ground from the antenna, and if the mast touches the chassis of the car your reception will be greatly diminished. the ant. wire is a coax cable like the the cable that goes to your television. the center of the cable is the signal and the outer is the sheild/ground. right now you have absolutly no AM, and your FM is very limited. I would strongly recommend a roof mounted amplified antenna like on the new 2003 civic Si. or you can get an aftermarket glass mounted amplified.