How do I set anti skate on Nottingham Anna arm????

Fully agree with Oldears and Ozzy. The blank disc method is flawed in principle.

The antiskate tracks on the HFN&RR test record mentioned by Ozzy are also flawed. It's easy enough to use the three "tracking test" tracks on side 2 to adjust antiskate, but the method described by Oldears is equally effective.

Antiskate is a compromise adjustment that can never be "perfect", so there's little point in going crazy over it. Once you've gotten accustomed to the sound of your (nice!) new rig, you can fine tune it by listening to music.

Ozzy62 and I part ways on this one. A RCM is mandatory. No phono stage, however bad, will damage your records. Playing them uncleaned will. This is one of the few 100% guarantees in audio.

A better phono stage will certainly be a worthwhile investment, but for the sake of your vinyl a RCM must come first. In fact it must come immediately. Do not play any record you value until it has been properly cleaned.

Oz,

Excellent suggestion. I wonder how much difference there really is between an inexpensive NG, Record Doctor or KAB vs. a VPI. They all share the same operating principle (felt-covered vacuum slot), so one wonders if the 2-4 times more costly VPI really cleans that much better.

Washing in the sink, if that implies using tap water, proved unsatisfactory for us. Tap water contains impurities that can be difficult or impossible to remove from a record. When I was young and innocent I tried it. The records got cleaner in general of course, but quite a few picked up noises that weren't there before. Neither my old DIY RCM nor my Loricraft can remove those impurities. I had to re-purchase several fairly expensive records after tap-water cleaning ruined them. :-(

Call me a purist, but the better one's gear the cleaner the vinyl needs to be. Nicksgem10s is already well up the equipment ladder and seems prepared to move higher still.