The manual is pretty good, I think. Don't worry about the antiskate ball hitting the pole - it doesn't matter when the arm is out near the outside of the record. once it's more into the record (like 1/2 way through or more) then the AS comes into play and the position of the ball is fine @ that point. Leave the VTA setting where the manual has it - the arm is marked, it's hard to get that wrong. Email WB for more info, they are pretty helpful I think. It's not that hard to set it up, and it's a great analog rig for the price range.
-Ed
-Ed