Audio Systems: car radios repair, ford laser ghia, fuse block

Question
I have a Ford Laser Ghia 1992 with a factory installed radio that won't tune in to any stations on any frequency, won't play cassettes or CDs. It has being going perfectly until just recently. The radio powers up (the light comes on and you hear a cackling sound thru the speakers) and thats all. I pulled the radio out(without disconnecting the power lead) to check for any loose connections and didn't find anything obvious.
Could you suggest any ideas I might be able to try?

Answer
Phil,

 given the age of the unit i would say its toast, most factory units have roughly a 10 year shelf life under moderate/normal use .. pull the unit out again and disconnect it this time let it sit out for about 10-20 mins or so .. also disconnect the negitive terminal on the battery and let set for about 10 mins this will reset your computer sometimes radios can get jammed so to speak and a reset might do the trick .. while the unit is out go back over your wiring look for any broken or frayed wires .. also go to your fuse block and pull each fuse out one at a time and check for blows .. check ALL fuses not just radio related ones ... plug unit back up reconnect battery and try again .. if still nothing the only other option is that you have a factory amplifier mounted somewhere in your car .. which to my knowledge would be unusal for a laser but its possible that it was an option .. the best resource for this info is to give ford's customer service line a call and ask them if it was an option on 92 lasers .. if no then the unit is fried so i suggest replaceing with an aftermarket unit to fit your budget and needs ... now if it does that could be where the problem is , you will then need to locate it remove it and find a replacement ... hope this helps you out if you need anything else let me know

thanks