RE: cutting antenna wire
It all depends on your experience soldering small components on PC boards and if you have a proper soldering iron for this job. Excesseve heat will start delamination the PC board and traces. To little heat and you end up with a cold solder joint and the leads to intermentent failures. There is a strain releif on the atenna wire where it enters the case and this will have to be properly reinstallled.
I've 40 years experience repairing electronics. I built my own radio system back in the lat 60's, Receiver, transmitter, and five servos. I soldered every component. Today, I would sent the radio in for repair and checkout as RC Ken said.
Don