Need help with anti-skating on Technics SL-1210GR

arancano

  Setting antiskate is not hard, nor an exact science. Because of the way antiskate changes as the tonearm moves closer to the end of a record there is no perfect number to set it at. Probably the biggest factor in antiskate is the tonearm bearing. Antiskate when measured with a proper antiskate gauge will show how good or poor a tonearm is designed and that is the reason why the same cartridge could have different antiskate settings in different tonearms.

  For a 9 inch tonearm, which you have, antiskate is about 7% at the beginning of the record and is about 10% at the second null point. This is just the physics of all of this, so don't get all twisted up in the numbers, it's not important to understand all of the science behind how these percentages were determined. 

  Your cartridge tracking force is 1.75 grams, set your antiskate at half that value .87 grams, which would be just below the 1 mark on your antiskate scale. Listen to an album. Do you hear any distortion in the right or left channels? If so add more antiskate if its left, less if its right. One important point, if you have to make an adjustment, make the move small, don't move the scale knob a full notch, just a tiny bit at a time. That's all there is to it. Your cartridge stylus will wear very evenly in the record groove. Now sit back and enjoy the music !!!

HI,
@mijostyn, hopeles I don’t think so.
I agree for checking HTA and overhang are correct before starting.
Mistracking can be heard without being severe.
Stylus profiles react differently to antiskate.
My point is that you do not need a gadget for adjusting antiskate and more is worse since is like applying more downforce.
Anybody has a tried method but I have seen a lot of cantilevers out of alignment beyond repair because of too much antiskate.

Lewm
I believe that was stated well before Mijo chimed in by another member.
However it does seem that the consensus is that the run out groove method is valid if one does not have a true test lp, just that the OP was taking it too far not quite understanding the desired result.

I also highly recommend fine tuning the "by ear" method for day to day usage and tweaking of AS.

Thanx lewm.  petg60 that is a hopeless way to set anti skate as by the time you hear mistracking it has gotten past severe. Small amounts of mistracking are hard to hear. The Hi Fi news test record has a wonderful anti skate test. It is the most accurate way to get "in the middle" as skating changes with groove velocity and position on the record. Too little anti skating is just as bad as too much. Aside from VTF this parameter is the most important as far as getting your cartridge to track at its best.

You say you set antiskating to prevent the stylus from moving toward the spindle. Now read what Mijostyn wrote. The goal is to have the cartridge move slowly toward the spindle, not to set anti-skate so high that the cartridge stands still in the run out grooves. That may be the reason why you have set antiskate so high. Start over with anti-skate set to zero. Now set the cartridge down in the run out grooves and increase anti-skate only to the point where the cartridge moves very slowly toward the spindle. That’s my recommendation.

Hi,
too much antiskate is worse than less. Blanc records are a no no and you may find that even with test records you have applied too much as they are cut far more dynamically than real music. Also they are cut at the end of record not taking into account that antiskate varies across the record.
You have to find your cartridge's mistracking point. Find a record in your collection that is dynamic enough put tracking weight near the lower end suggested by Lyra and antiskate to zero. If mistracks apply little more weight till it barely stops. Apply antiskate and increase in small increments till no mistracking occurs and right channel sounds normal. You are done. Adjust tracking weight within Lyra limits and where you prefer it. You may find that you need more than once to experiment. Anti skate is a compromise and we live with that.

I'll agree with Chakster on this one. The Hi Fi News record is excellent however in a pinch the run out area method is valid. Put the stylus down between grooves in the run out area. It should drift ever so slowly towards the spindle. Forget about the gradations on the tone arm they are always hopelessly inaccurate. Set the anti skate to whatever it takes to achieve the final results. Make believe the gradations are not even there. 
Having said all this you better check your overhang again. If the cartridge is too far out skating will increase dramatically. 
Enjoy the Lyra. Good choice.

Mike

Hi-Fi News TEST LP is the best you can use, this is a must have record, you will get protractor with this LP. You can measure tonearm/cartridge resonance frequency with this LP. Buy it, it will help you with everything.

Do not add too much anti-skating, you can start with zero, you can add half or make it exactly as the tracking force.

There will be a force that moving the arm toward the spindle.
When the arm is balanced and there is no tracking force you will see it will move slowly from the spindle to the edge of the record direction.

All you need is to compensate a bit when the needle is on the spinnin’ record.

If the tracking force is low the anti-skating must be set to the minimum (no more that tracking force). 

If you are doing the SoundSmith end of record test, which is valid, there should continue to be a slow movement toward the spindle.  To completely stop that movement would require an excessive amount of anti skate.  Beware of some of the test records as they can also cause you to over due the setting.  Setting the final position by ear ultimately will be a technique you should research and practice. 

Thanks for the tip on the TEST LP. The TT is perfectly level and the armtube is parallel to the record surface. Do you think a mis-aligned cartridge or incorrect overhang could cause this behavior? I used the protractor but it's not always easy to tell when you have it right.

Do NOT use blank record, use music or use Hi-Fi News TEST LP
Set anti-skating equal to the tracking force or lower (it depends on the stylus profile).
Level your turntable first of all.

Make sure the armtube is parallel to the record surface when the needle is in the groove