A while back I gave a family member a AA5 set (AM). It worked well for months, but when he put it on a shelf in the garage with equipment like a compressor, drills, flourescent lamps etc, the volume would take a step down or up with transients! Ever happen to you all and did you ever fix?, john85

Did you sub a 50L6 for a 35L6, or something like that?

have not done a thing yet! john85

My guess is that the wiring in his garage is not adequate, and the starting surge of a motor momentarily reduces the line voltage to the radio. Could also be a dirty or corroded terminal in the box which feeds the garage.

I'm with him.... It would be an idea to get the electrical system in the shed, checked out, by someone qualified. Especially in the area of adequacy & correct type of wire.

You can monitor the voltage with an analogue meter: Do keep in mind that sagging voltage can wreck a motor, far more efficiently than slight over voltage ever will & overheating wires can easily start a fire.

Marc

Agreed.

Larry

While all of the above replies are valid, there could also be a problem with the radio itself. You don't say what make or model AA5 radio this is. If it has a marginal selenium rectifier, the plate voltage may be lowering just enough when a heavy load is placed on the AC circuit to reduce the output. Even with AC wiring that's up to snuff, a heavy load like a motor starting can lower the voltage momentarily by a few volts

It happens in my house, because it has aluminum siding. That blocks out most of the radio signals, but when an appliance switches on, it changes the pattern of radio signals circulating through the wiring and the radio volumes go up. Weird but consistently repeatable.