Ever see one of these Radaranges?

[cadman]

Hey Guys,

Thought you might get a kick out of the latest RR aquisition, an ebay find I picked up this weekend a couple hours from home...including the box!

It's an 8A- as I understand it, it's the first to offer the temp probe feature. Not only do you have complete variable Cookmatic control but also a temp set and hold control. Very cool!

 

[cadman]

The box... Very Cool

 

[cadman]

And the Controls- You can see the black needle in the left hand window showing actual probe temp. Once it reaches the set temperature, the RR switches over to hold. When using the Cookmatic feature, the COOK light cycles with the magnetron so you know for a fact when the food is being cooked.

This is the first I've seen outside of the service pubs, neat!

 

[petek]

Never seen that one before, great find. How many do you have now?

Speaking of RR's on my trip into the thrift today there's a modern black door 9TA sitting on the shelf for $10. I just don't know if I dare bring another one home, so I didn't.

 

[scott55405]

Very cool! I don't generally get excited over microwave ovens, but these Amana ones are very handsome, and being I remember when microwaves came out, it seems funny to see ones that we look at now as cool and classic.

Robert kept a Radarange around in his kitchen and it never looked out of place even in his vintage kitchens, because of the chrome and nice styling.

The microwave I have here says Amana Radaranage on it, but it looks like an ordinary microwave (last tenant left it). Too bad they don't make these kind anymore. Microwaves aren't $500 anymore, but they don't have the coolness factor of these either.

 

[drmitch]

Wow Cory, I didn`t know thay made so many different models. Love the lights!

 

[Versatronic]

Haven't seen that one before

That's is a very cool microwave. I've never seen one like that before. I agree that the old amana's fit right into a vintage kitchen. I'm so happy with mine and love the way it seems to fit in with every thing else.

 

[jasonl]

*DROOL*

As Bri would say... "OMIGOD!"

I think I just added a new item to my dream list. So now the modern housewife can prepare a meal AUTOMATICALLY with the new Amana RR-8A.

 

[tomturbomatic]

That was my first microwave, Zeena Zapper. When it was introduced, about 1978 or 79, it was more versatile than the big Touchmatic, because that did not yet have the various Cookmatic power levels. I later fell for the RR-10LA or something, the first "Amanda" with the smoked plastic door instead of the big chrome one that let you know you were looking at an Amana. I gave this one to my brother. The story went that the smoked plastic door was a trial, not anything that would last and yet it sold faster than any model so the design was kept. These old Amanas cycled the magnetron on and off in fractions of a second to give more even lower energy levels, not like today's microwaves where the cycling is portions of a minute. Back in those days, a microwave was built like a major appliance and was often almost as big an investment. Today's more powerful models are almost thought of as counter top appliances like toasters rather than major appliances.

 

[southernmdgeguy]

Great find

I have never seen that model, I like it more than my all digital touch screen model, even though they have the same features. Love the lighted displays.
I just need the probe for mine, it was missing when I saved the machine from friends who moved into a house and were afraid of using it because it "was old" Thanks to Rick R. for a replacement tray, I use it every day.

 

[wiskybill]

TYVM for turning me on...

to the joys of a Radarange!!

A couple months ago there was a lot of discussion about RR's and it really inspired me look for one. A few days later I was in a thrift store and spied one. It was a RR-4 in really nice shape, original glass tray intact. After testing it with a mug of water to make sure it worked, I had to have it! There was no price on it, so I offered $5 and they took it.
Nearly got a hernia carrying it out to my van! They are heavy!
But it rocks!
Your latest find is very impressive, as is your collection! I've learned a lot.
Thanks again, Bill....

 

[jasonlangel]

The man is right

OMIGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want
Lol

 

[tomturbomatic]

If anyone else has an Amana with variable power level you can make it perform a neat light show if you have a small fluorescent tube. Put a cup of water in the cavity then use a Styrafoam cup to hold the tube. You can poke holes opposite each other at the top so that the tube slides through. The microwaves excite the tube like electricity and the tube lights up. When you reduce the power level, you can get a graphic picture of how fast that old system cycled the magnetron. You get some idea of that if you operate the oven and turn on the light inside. The pulsing shows up in the dimming of the bulb.

 

[petek]

I can tell my RR is cycling because the lights over the bathroom vanity are flickering LOL

 

[jasonl]

You can tell when your Amana RR is cycling if.....

1. All (except for the flourescent) lights dim in the house.
2. Your electric company calls you and asks where you have the nuclear reactor hiding...
3. Your wife (or husband's) hair stands on end, falls back down, stands on end, falls back down.
4. You hear intermittent transmissions from other planets on the radio.
5. You are smelling the exhaust and you turn up the power so you can stop going back and forth between a dissociative state and reality.
6. Kari from Mythbusters comes over (OMG *drool* this one stops here before I get in trouble with...)
7. Bri's wheelchair starts driving itself.
8. You're still sniffing the exhaust are ya? I better not catch you staring into it either or you're gonna get a whoopin'.
9. Your child was born green.

 

[cadman]

You know, those black door machines are starting to pop up more often as of late. And then Amana got into variations of those machines too. It would be interesting to track down one of the insiders who worked there at the late 70s and hear the stories!

This machine brings the count to 14- I'm stll thinking about how I want to display them when the garage is built. I have a freespan run of 48' so I could mount them in chronological order along the wall above the washers with 2x4's b/w each machine tied to the 2x10 floor rafters above. That's a freakin' lot of weight though : ) Hmmm... One thing's for sure, I'll need a lot of circuits!

Cory

 

[sikiguya]

Radarange Cookbook

Anyone want a HB copy of the Amana Radarange cookbook? It's in excellent condition although does not have the operating instructions in the front pocket of the book. Thick and heavy, just like the Radarange! LOL

I will send (free) to whomever wants it. In the event that there is more than one person who wants it, we will have a joke off and whomever tells me the best joke will win! LOL

Heather