Amana Radarange microwave

[ricky5050]

Hello I’ve just taken delivery of a radarange thanks to my friend Al vacbear. It’s very rare in the uk to get such and old microwave. It seems to work fine although I’ve not really used it for a longtime. As you can see it’s nearly as big as my tumble dryer. My question is how do change the lightbulb ? It looks like the roof panel unscrews at the front and slide out.

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks Richard

 

[cadman]

Looks like a very nice RR-4D!

You'll find a small door at the top rear to access the bulb externally. On the US-spec models, the bulb is a 2-pin, 25W bayonet style.

Any chance we can see a close-up of the dials?

 

[Chetlaham]

I want more pic!

 

[ricky5050]

Hello thanks for that I’ve removed the old bulb and will order. It seems to work fine. It need a little clean to the chrome as there’s gloss paint splatters.

My microwave tester only vaguely flickers and never in the red so
I’m hoping it’s safe to use !!

Thanks again

 

[cadman]

Sharp eyes will notice RR-2 style graphics on those 4D knobs. This is because the 50Hz models came out in the '2' era, and since the timer motors are 60Hz, you actually get a little bit more cook time on both timers due to the motors turning slower. I don't know how many EU models were sold, but it likely wasn't enough to retool those timer legends for the new model, so there they soldier on.

The serial plate shows why there was never a defacto RR-5 model. Originally, RR5-xx denoted a 50Hz variant, so official model numbers jumped from 4 to 6. Around 1980, having already progressed through RR-10, there was a need to identify Amana's new basic, analog version, so the '5B' was released, despite there being no 5 or 5A.

 

[ricky5050]

It’s now in place

I’ve replaced the bulb and It’s now in place. It does look good but huge ! Testing with the detector the needle jumps in to red near left hand side of door screen mesh obviously and inch away there’s nothing. Would this be safe ? I’ve also noticed that food cooks in clumps and stirring turning is needed due to no turntable but didn’t know if there was a stirrer in roof space that may need freeing ?

Any advice on this would be great thanks
Richard

 

[cadman]

She looks right at home in that kitchen!

Due to the integrated-choke door design, it would take physical damage to the unit to make it unsafe to operate. I wouldn't put too much stock in that hand-held tester, to be honest.

The next time you're cooking something, look up towards the splash shield and see if you can determine if the 'Rotawave' antenna is spinning (light/dark shadow from the interior lamp). This antenna circulates the RF, but is also air driven. Cooking should be pretty even in a RR.

 

[ricky5050]

Thanks !

I’ll check on that thank you. I see the roof cover removes if needs be

Yes i always wanted a vintage looking microwave. It does fit but boy it’s a big beast !!

Richard

 

[ricky5050]

Auto defrost

Hello can I ask about the auto defrost ? I clicked it on today and instead of the machine sounding normal
It went silent but making a light humming noise I switched it back and it came on as normal. I assumed it would sound the same but just less power ? Or does it intermittently switch off and on when I’m defrost ? I didn’t want to leave it Incase damage was caused ?

Thanks Richard

 

[cadman]

Auto-Defrost

The defrost cycle on these models is a 50% duty cycle if I recall. When you activate it, it powers a motor and a cam turns the magnetron on for so many seconds (30?), then off for so many seconds. It's not unusual for there to be a light clunk or hum (transformer is under load) when in the energized portion of the cycle.

The only downside is that the cycle will start where it last left off, so if cooking for a short period of time, you could end up with more or less actual done-ness than expected. Since many defrosting jobs are usually 5 or more minutes, it does tend to average out, so keep that in mind when you use it.

 

[ricky5050]

Thanks

So when it’s off would it be silent. Modern microwaves still
Make a noise then you hear the magnetron kick in this went silent bar a hum but I didn’t dare leave it too long. I removed the roof cover and the stirrer moves if not smoothly but doesn’t seem to move when cooking. I looked thought the slots and after using it didn’t seem to have moved. There is a fan blowing air from the front so it should be moving. There’s also a slight vintage smell. Think of sniffing inside an old radio lol.

I’m trying to see if there’s a service engineer nearby that can service it

Thanks for your help

Richard

 

[cadman]

Just to clarify, the fan/blower should run anytime you hit Start, and normally would drown out any transformer hum. In fact, the hum really shouldn't be perceptible whether or not the magnetron is "on" or "off" during defrosting.

 

[DADoES]

 
My new GE OTR, as did the previous 2004 unit, generates a perceptible hum whenever the magnetron is active vs. when it's not on less-than-max power.  Older units generally don't do so?

 

[cadman]

As long as these RR's can pull the current they need (no extension cords or undersized wiring) they're pretty quiet when under load (nice, heavy transformers). The fan speed might drop just a little, and the interior light (if on) will dim a touch as it cycles, but normally that blower will drown out any transformer hum.

 

[ricky5050]

Hello Cadman

Thanks for your reply I’ve done a video of it running. You can see what I mean about the auto defrost it does sound like it’s ticking ie it may fire into life the cycle off and on I didn’t want to leave it running in case of damage.

Thanks for your help

Richard