Anti-Skate with heavy 12" tonearms

[W9TR]

For a pivoted arm, the effective tone arm length, tracking force, and radius of the record groove itself are the primary variables for skating force.

For example tangential tracking arm has an infinite effective tone arm length and so zero skating force.

The actual and/or effective mass of the tonearm/head shell/cartridge is not part of the equation for skating force.

Assuming that you’ve set up the table with a pivoted arm to have two nulls where the cartridge cantilever is parallel to the record groove, you can use a test record to dial in anti-skate in the middle of the record. I use a test record and then listen to fine tune it, knowing that it is an imprecise adjustment that changes with recorded level and also across the surface of the record.

I’d add that less is more, so dial it in slowly and listen.

Tom