Radarange troubles

[Cybrvanr]

Marlow Heights

I drive by the Marlow Heights shopping center frequently when I'm in that area for service calls at the government complex up there. The area does look a little rough, but one thing I enjoy seeing is that neat Hecht's store that looks like a place out of time. A perfectly maintained relic of Mid-Century modern in un-retored glory!

The rest of the shopping center looks like it is just as old, but it's had a few face-lifts over the years. Still, the flagstone still shows through in a few places, and that neon sign over in the corner still looks neat too!

 

[swestoyz]

Weather Stripping

Hey Guys,

Per the Amana tech guides, they say the 'strips' are a special material that are designed specifically to keep in the radio waves on these units. I'm a bit fuzzy on the actual material it calls out on it, but I would assume it is some sort of carbon based coating on the flexible strips. I remember reading this as Cory and I were surprised about this, and I think it advised to replace with OEM strips. Weather stripping will probably not work (or be for safe use). I would be careful, or advise against using these machines if:

A) The original stripping is cracked, brittle, burnt or missing
B) The white plastic cap on the door is severely cracked or damaged
C) Broken glass

Rick, as much as Cory and I love these machines, I would advise you to possibly find another unit at this point. Any model from the RR4D-RR9TA would be a wonderful replacement for you.

Ben

 

[swestoyz]

Oh, the brown fuzzy stuff....

Hey Scott,

I just saw yer post on the brown, fuzzy seal that they used for the blower cavity. The above message is for the door seal only, I read your post wrong. I do apologize if I over-alarmed anyone out there.

Ben

 

[rickr]

What I went in for,and what I bought...

I was still undecided on what to do when I walked into Lowes Home Center today. However I was leaning toward buying a new MW. Therefore I grabbed a cart and went to the appliance section first. They had GE, Sharp,and a few other brands of MWs. I inspected them all,and they were all the same. Flimsy junk! If you opened the door of any of the MWs it felt like you could just rip it right off the hinges! The plastic on the touch controls looked cheap,and was all wavy,and you could lift the whole MW with one hand! I decided that right then and there that I did not need the shopping cart after all! There is NO WAY I would put that kind of crap in my house. Then made a trip over to the doors and windows area,and found foam weatherstrip in several sizes,plus cement that could be used to reseal the blower cavity to outside cabinet in my old Radarange. Cost $15.78 Even though I am pressed for time,I will work on this project tommorow,and hope that the stirrer will stir when the job is finished. If it does not,will look for another Radarange. If for some reason this unit would not be safe to use after this sort of repair,please let me know a.s.a.p.

Thanks to all!
Rickradarange

 

[tolivac]

cybrvanr:Wow!-The Hechts is still there-amazing. Glad the sign is still there-served as a landmark-beacon for people finding my apt house at the time.They then knew where it was!!I think the shopping center was built in the early 60's.The names I have now heard for Marlow Heights---"Marlow Freights"-Temple Hells" instead of Temple Hill. Too bad the crime rate is high there.I also remember the Govt buildings there-The Census folks are there.Also the Smithsonian storage Annex that is there-Watched that being built.Was built in the late 70's.Some old Navy annex buildings were there-they were burnt down to provide "practice" for the Md PG County Fire Dept.I also remember a Film storage building there that was loaded with Nitrate films and x-ray films-the place caught fire-saw it burning-the flames were blowing thru the doorways and windows like a blowtorch!!Looked at it more cloesly after the fire was out-the windows,metal doors and frames were MELTED!!Was impressive-they did loose some important things though.Beleive it was part of the Dept of the Census.There was also a "Golf Ball" radar building there as well.Was behind the one that burned.That area is Suitland,Md.It was conveneint to my govt job downtown.I didn't have a car at that time and rode the buses,subway,and even taxicabs to get to work.Was nice.There is supposed to be a subway stop out thewre now.Wasn't there when I lived in that area.

 

[veg-o-matic]

Rick, that's one of the reasons I got my RR in the first place. We had an Admiral (Sharp) that was very nice, cooked well, was easy to program. I just couldn't stand the way the door sounded when it closed! When you shut the RR, it's like closing a bank vault. I defy any stray radiation to escape from that beast!

veg

 

[swestoyz]

Rick,

My sediments exactly. I've walked through many isles looking at new units, and I cannot stand how cheep it is to mfg these with the low-grade quality of products put into it. My favorite quote of Cory's on RR's is, "As much chrome as a 58 Buick, and closes like a bank vault". I wish you well tomorrow, I hope things turn out cookin! I'll be thinkin of ya tomorrow. Cory and I will be 'working' on things tomorrow, so we'll be checking for a post of sucess!

Ben

 

[Cybrvanr]

That whole area is not sort of starting to get revitalized a little bit. It doesn't seem to be quite as bad anymore as you previously described, but I can certainly see the scars from a worse time like abandoned buildings, those payday loan centers, and other signs of blight that are slowly dissapearing. Although I enjoy them, I sometimes notice prolific laundromats are frequently a sign of blighted neighborhoods (I guess because residents cannot afford washers)

A green-line metro rail station opened up over in Suitland MD right beside the government complex back in 2000, which I think kicked out the revitalization of the area. The metrorail system gave people that don't have cars access to jobs in downtown DC. The Navy has built an intelligence center there, and there's another building going up, which I have been told, is going to be a NOAA building. With all those new buildings, and the subsequent government jobs they will bring, they are hiring many of the people that live in the immedite vicinty. The old K-mart across from the Marlow heights shopping center that sat vacant for years is not being rebuilt as something else...can't figure it out, but it's going to have a tall roof section in the middle. many of the old abandoned service stations and stuff are being either torn down and replaced with new structures, or being re-opened as new businesses.

I think many people are moving into that area too simply because the home prices in Northern Virginia and other suburbs have become so out of reach. That area is still reasonable With the job growth in the Northern VA area, I am suprised any area around DC would ever get blighted...there's hope for that area yet!

 

[rickr]

Radarange cont.

So I got the seals and took care to install them correctly

 

[rickr]

rr

And made sure it was all air tight

 

[rickr]

rr

And even added more foam strips to make sure the cabinet sealed against the strips

 

[rickr]

turned the motha on....

And old "sparky" was back in town!! This time the RR was in the garage,so I just "let her R.I.P." (and moved away from the RR)
She smoked,she smelled,she sparked,the lights got dim,and dinner was done!

BTW the tray was in there,and the Pyrex glass was full of water also. What was wrong with this poor RR I do not know,however I do know that I will be shopping for another Radarange.

I saved the glass tray and the control panel,the rest of this RR made it the all the way to the alley this time.

 

[Versatronic]

Too bad

I was hoping you could resecitate it. I had a radarange and it worked fine, but it was enormous. The inside cavity was no larger than one of today's smaller microwaves. This thing took up a large amount of space and I decided to give it away to a friend and replace it with a Sharp. Now I'm wishing I hadn't given it away. I asked my friend if he still had it, but he said "someone begged me out of it". My wasn't chromed out like yours appears to be/was. You're seems to be more attractive than the one I owned.

 

[rickr]

Thanks Mike...

me too!!

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Dang!

Me 3

 

[super32]

sorry

rickr

Sorry the RR didnt make it Mine was given to me after one of thoses episodes and then the power supply decided to burn. That is a show! I kept it for about 3yrs and got rid of it when I moved.

Scott

 

[swestoyz]

That's too bad Rick, but I'm glad you gave it your best. You also saved the two easy to grab parts too - which may prove useful in the future. Grabbing the interlock board would also have been a good idea, but not a necessity.

It shouldn't be hard to find a replacement, as I said earlier, a good RR4D-RR9TA would be a fantastic replacement, and are fairly easy to find. If they weren't so heavy, I'd be sending you my mint RR900 as a token gift!

Ben

 

[jetcone]

Hey Rick

Do you still have the plastic cover that installs at the top of the oven under the stirrer? I need one for my TouchMatic if you do.

Let me know Jet

 

[petek]

dang as well...but they will show up, look at the flurry of them I had a few months ago and ended up with 3, still yet another one showed last week but it didn't appear to work as clean as it was, so I left it, had it been one I didn't have I might have taken it but they're just too heavy to cart around and store unless absolutely required.

 

[mathemagical]

Commercial Radaranges

If you should be unable to find a suitable vintage Radarange, and again find yourself trawling the aisles of Sears and the Home Depot...at least take a look at some of the commercial models out there. Not the same, no, but descended from their sturdy ancestors.

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amanacommercial.com