Friday, May 12, 2017

The Radarange

The Radarange (RR1) was first released in 1967 by Amana Refrigeration, a division of Raytheon then, owned by Whirlpool now. In 1947 Raytheon Co. came up with the name of this new microwave oven  "Radarange"
through an employee contest.  The concept of quick microowave cooking had arrived! It set the bar for the competition for years to come. It was very stylish with lots of chrome, class, and workmanship.  It was the first popular home microwave oven even though sales at first were slow due to size, weight, and cost but by 1967 iit was smaller, safer and more reliable than some on market. By 1971 prices lowered due to competition.  Dr. Perry Spencer, a self-taught engineer with the Raytheon Corporation, discovered the microwave by accident while testing magnetron tubes and eventually invented this revolutionary, multimillion dollar industry of microwave ovens. At one time they outsold gas ranges with about 90% of homes having a microwave of some brand. The vintage Radarange was very popular in Amana and around the world with the production plant being in Middle Amana. The newer, electronic models are still valued  today for quick cooking and reheating.



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