So Weird- No Stylus Contact Woofer Pumping with Hana ML and Elac PPA-2

@mitchellco , I'm the one that suggested the dryer sheet. It was clear to me that the rubber mat was holding a static charge. The only question was how to dissipate it. I just pulled the dryer sheet out as one of many possible solutions. I'm glad it worked out.

How do you explain the periodicity? Wouldn’t the mat be uniformly charged? 

If I may quote myself:

That charge won’t universally distribute evenly across the record, as the vinyl itself is an insulator. Something you are doing is leaving a charge, and that charge is concentrated (possibly) at the last place you touched the record. That concentrated, persistent static charge is inducing a periodic, low-frequency signal via your cartridge.

Here's a video of a demonstration that clearly shows this concept in action.

@lewm If you look up VinylAttack on YT, you will see he has done a number of tests dealing with measuring static build up on vinyl using anti-static brushes and Zerostat guns. The videos may help to understand what is going on.

The idea that the ES charge is concentrated at one area on an LP or on the mat is contrary to data collected by Shure Corporation, when they studied ES charge in vinyl reproduction, albeit many years ago; they suggested that charge distributes evenly across an LP surface.  However, I could perceive that there might be some assymmetry to charge distribution due to fingerprints or other oily or watery deposits on the LP surface.  So perhaps the data you cite would contradict their earlier findings.  I will take a look. 

And we still have not had an answer as to whether the 18Hz high pass filter on the preamp was engaged during all of these investigations.  If it was engaged, then I would expect there to be little to no woofer pumping when the platter is spun at speeds below 18Hz.  Yet I thought the OP reported he can spin the platter by hand at speeds well below 33 rpm, and still visualize the phenomenon.