On 3 Oct 2005 11:53:34 -0700, "apollo2011" said
in rec.radio.scanner:

I wouldn't have expected the signal to die completely when the antenna
is disconnected, I would have expected to still be able to hear
something. However, I tested my scanner by tuning and holding a weather
station, and then disconnecting the antenna. The signal went dead
completely, turning the Squelch down caused static, but I expected
that. So based on that, the antenna connector seems to not be the
problem.

Good diagnosis. At this point I'd actually measure the sensitivity,
but that takes some instrumentation. Maybe some ham in your area
could check it for you.