how do you set VTA onthe SME 309 tonearm?

In order to move it, you're going to have to loosen something. Did you look underneath the TT? Whatever is used to lock the arm in place may be located on the bottom.

The users manual isn't very clear on how to raise and lower the tonearm. Below is a link to an image indicating the correct bolts to loosen using the hex wrench. The bracket holds the tonearm pillar firmly in place but there's some built in tension so the tonearm doesn't just fall when you loosen the bracket. After raising or lowering the tonearm, retighten the screws evenly, a bit at a time. Avoid overtightening. Be sure to have the tonearm firmly in the tonearm rest while you're adjusting the tonearm height.

SME 309 VTA adjustment bolts

Regards,
Tom

Here's a suggestion to make adjusting the height easier and repeatable...

Use a set of shims between the base of the tonearm bearing frame and the top of the mounting bracket to set the height. I used a small block of wood and some playing cards that I carved out to fit around the tonearm pillar. The wood block took up most of the space and then the playing cards were used to make fine adjustments in height. I check VTA and then add or subtract cards to get just the right VTA.

You could use just about anything that can be placed up against the pillar. My current method uses a set of aluminum bicycle headset spacers (1, 2, 2.5, 5, and 10mm thicknesses) and some spacers made from 0.5mm thick vinyl. I cut out an opening in each headset spacer and stack them up to fill up most of the space and then use the vinyl spacers for fine tuning.

Regards,
Tom

Tketcham,

Have a look at this picture.

http://theturntableshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/SME-V-Tonearm-Detail-2.jpg

I was looking at some pics of this arm, and if you look closely you'll see that they use tamper proof bolts. If I'm reading your post correctly, that's a bolt you need to loosen to adjust the arm. I've never seen anything like it on a tone arm before. Is that the right bolt? To be honest, I overlooked it as something that shouldn't be touched.

Zd542...SME supplies a special wrench for these screws. These are the correct screws to both move the arm forward and back and up and down.

I was a SME dealer for many years and have owned quite a few different SME arms through the years.