Tracking force is the weight of the needle on the record, adjusted with the counterweight on the back of the arm. My cart likes 2.2g. But supposedly this Concept arm applies different weight depending on the position on the record, due to the magnetic pivot. I will measure it in several places today.
Anti-skate mechanism cancels the lateral force on the needle. Some explanations of anti-skate say that the outward pull of the needle is caused by centripetal force, but that is not true. The needle is not spinning with the record surface, so there is no angular acceleration of the needle, and no centripetal force. It is caused by lateral friction between disc surface and needle.
The needle wants to skate outward because the angle of the groove at the needle is not parallel to the line from the needle to the pivot. As the arm moves across the record this angle between groove and arm changes slightly and the anti-skate force should also change. On a linear tonearm, the angle is eliminated and no antiskate is necessary. The needle angle is off by usually <1 degree. A longer tonearm reduces this effect. A linear tonearm eliminates it.
Even when there is an angle difference, the needle still stays in the groove because the skating force is usually not enough to lift the needle out of the groove. But it is enough to deflect the cantilever. To adjust the antiskate you can use a test record and voltmeter to balance the amplitude of each channel, or a grooveless LP to adjust the needle to sit still with the record spinning.
My antiskate adjustment is under the plinth, and set by factory, so I'm in denial for now. The arm moves outward on the down cue, even before it hits the record. More magnetic pivot side effects?
