Thanks for that detailed explanation. My intention is to splice in a
SPDT On-Off-On toggle switch into the control line running from the
radio to the antenna motor that would allow me to manually override the
radio controlled antenna motor operation.  The idea is to be able to
swich the line running from the motor to the lead from the radio in one
of the On positions for normal operation, applying battery voltage at
the other On position to keep the antenna extended during extreme cold
temps, and also keep it retracted in the center Off position when the
line between the radio and motor is effectively cut.  I think this is
doable, don't you? I just need to find a good place for that switch.
Maybe in that empty box right under the radio.

Lucky you!  I haven't been able to chase down that nut wrench yet,
though the new antenna arrived in the mail today. Bought it on eBay for
$16.  Looks pretty much like the original but we'll see how long it
lasts. Considering how long the original Honda antenna lasted, I'm not
too concerned.
BTW, the torque wrench I have is a heavy duty one, used for wheel nuts
and such and I don't think I could use it for this one. Where do you get
those smaller ones for this kind of applications?

Oh, somebody suggested using lithium grease on the plastic drive cord
but I'm not sure.

Thanks again,
Rudy

Well, finally I managed to remove the antenna motor today and sure
enough, inside the round plastic strip guide I found the last 8" of the
strip.  Once I managed to fold away that stiff trunk liner, removing the
motor was easier than I first thought because it was secured with one
screw only and even that had to be unscrewed only partially because of
the way the bracket was designed.  That was the only good news though I
wish Honda would have thought of providing easier access to that motor.
After all that antenna strip seems to break fairly often and getting out
the broken piece requires removal of the motor assembly.

I had no success at all with inserting the new antenna's plastic strip
into the motor assembly even though I followed the Service Manual's
instructions: having the radio on and trying to push in the antenna with
the teeth facing backward so the wheel of the motor would catch it and
pull it in when turning the radio off.  The problem was that the
farthest I could push that antenna strip in while the telescop was fully
extended was still leaving about an inch of the strip free between the
bottom of the antenna mast and the spacer over the hole.  That would
have required another person at the radio while I hold the mast over the
hole, though I'm not sure that would still have pulled in the antenna
fully when the radio is turned on.  It seems that I should have been
able to wiggle in that plastic strip farther down before turning off the
radio though I noticed that the strip on the replacement antenna is
about an inch longer than on the old one when I account for the broken
off piece.  I'd like to hear from anyone who has done this successfully
in the past if there is some trick to do this that I am missing.  For
one, I'm not even sure if the motor's catch wheel can be forced to turn
by manually pushing that strip down.  I had the feeling that it was able
to only slightly wiggle that wheel with the plastic strip but not really
turn it.  I'm pretty sure there is no other broken off piece left there
in the motor, because the piece I picket out of it had the kind of
finished end the new antenna's cord has.

Rudy

You must be right, because after I installed the 3-way antenna motor
override switch, things are working as expected.  It will come really
handy in the freezing cold winter.

Finally my special order nut wrench also arrived today, so I'll be ready
for next time I need to replace the antenna mast.

Rudy