Belt for Technics Turntables SL-H306, SL-H306U, SL-H309, SL-H309U from Professor Phonograph  


:
Brand New High Quality Turntable Belt
for National or Panasonic 
(National and Panasonic are brands of Matsushita, pre-cursors of Technics) 
model SL-18
from
Professor Phonograph
WELCOME TO TURNTABLES, ETC.
There is a common myth that one belt fits 95% of all turntables. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth! If a typical belt is, say, an inch too small, the turntable will probably run, but you will wear out your motor in about a year. If the same belt is an inch too large, again, the turntable will probably run, but as the belt ages, it expands. Because this belt is too large from the start, you will need to replace it years before it would normally need replacement!

Don't trust your turntable to a novice with an eBay account and an electronic parts account!
Flat Rubber belts have 5 measurements that are critical to ensure proper performance.
  1. The obvious one is length, this affects tightness. If the belt is too tight, it slowly kills the motor. Belt Drive motors are generally not available any longer. If its too lose, it does not put enough tension on the motor, and soon it will begin slipping, years before the correct belt would begin to slip!
  2. The width of the belt is one most of us do not think about very much, yet it is critically important. These usually range between 23/64 and 39/64 of an inch (or metric equivalants) these are usually measures down to the 64th of an inch to ensure precision. If a belt is too wide, the risk is not fitting the capstan of your turntable. If a belt is too narrow, the risk is slipping, which will make the table seem to speed up and slow down. This may be inaudible at first, but in six month, who knows?
  3. The thickness of the belt. This is the smallest of the belts dimensions. Belts that are made for most turntables will be about the same thickness. The belt is supposed to wrap tightly around the capstan. There are Flat Rubber Belts out there that are way too thick for use on a turntable. The capstan is the part of the motor that keeps the speed going consistently. A belt that is too thick will not be in contact with the capstan as much as the designer and manufacturer intended. The result? wobbly pitch!
  4. External diameter. Its pretty simple, yet important; the distance around the inside of the belt. Obviously, this measurement is closely related to #3 and #5.
  5. External diameter. Its pretty simple, yet important; the distance around the outside of the belt. Obviously, this measurement is closely related to #3 and #4.
This belt fits this National Panasonic turntable, and while it fits some other National, Panasonic, or Technics models, it does not fit all National, Panasonic, or Technics models. This is not the belt that fits most National, Panasonic, or Technics models, buying from someone who looks established, but does not have my experience could lead you to the wrong part.
I was a store manager for the largest independent Technics and Panasonic dealer in the Southeastern United States, I also ordered parts direct from Panasonic. Please let me share this knowledge with you. There are established websites that use the same belt for all National, Panasonic and Technics tables, and while some are “close” (they will spin the platter), if you call 5% close, they are not an exact match.

Also, watch out for guys that have belts that have been sitting around the shop for a couple of years! The shelf-life of a brand new belt that is recently manufactured is about 5 years of normal play. I only have belts that are brand new, recently manufactured turntable belts. Some say that I only keep belts that are
fresh!
These belts are not cut to size, they are precision molded to match the original factory specifications for the following Turntable:
  • National or Panasonic SL-18
About these models:
I managed a Pro Sound Store for over 20 years (from the late 70s to the early years of this century). I took notes of people bringing in turntables The National or Panasonic (these turntables were available in both brands) SL-18s were some of the turntables that customers brought in for belts, they had a cool wood-grain platter. As turntables adopted the more space-age look, wood grain (as cool as it is) was replaced by grey and black. I did not stock or sell these models, as I took over management after they were discontinued, and I wanted to be 100% sure which belt they needed, so I called Panasonic at that time and they said to use part #SFGB321-1. (At that time these had only been discontinued for a short while, and Panasonic still had information on them. If I did this today, they have no information for me.) The Artistic Audio belt, sold in this offer was designed to deliver the exact amount of tension and pressure to get your SL-18 back to specs. Many National, Panasonic, and Technics turntables use this exact same part number, and I have over a decade of sales with no issues. Your experience will be the same, that is my guarantee.
There was an early, non-Panasonic, parts cross-reference with a lot of errors in it, and the info it contained had a belt that contradicts what Panasonic told me when I called. There are many, many major parts dealers that copied these errors, and are selling the wrong belts, even to this day.
Here is the info I copied from my notes from my actual customer’s SL-18 turntables:
The SL-18 is a semi automatic belt drive turntable with a S- or J- tonearm that pivots. All of the controls are on the inside of the dust cover. Semi-automatic means that you move the arm toward the platter, rotation starts. At the end of the record, the arm automatically lifts and returns to the rest position, and the player shuts off. 
I have a service manual on the SL-18, message me if you need help. 
All of the controls (including the cueing mechanism) are located on the right side of the tonearm. On the left side is a switch for speed (33/OFF/45) that is set either on 33, or on OFF, or 45. DJs love this OFF position, as it shuts off the motor without disengaging the audio, so they can scratch or do other creative DJing that would be impossible if the platter was rotating. There is no pitch control. If you buy this belt and still have pitch issues, I can guide you through a solution, it will take you about 1 day to complete, but you will be able to adjust the pitch! (Yes, I see no pitch control on the outside, and yes, I can show you how to fix it.) Most people don't have this problem, getting the correct belt is essential. On the Right side of the tonearm there is a cueing lever (up and down), if the cueing is not smooth, add oil to the hydraulic chamber, that fixes it. 
The far right side has a control that says "stop", if a record is playing, hitting this switch lifts the arm and returns it to the starting position. As it is an early semi-automatic, there is no stop button. Stop is performed manually, cue the arm up, return it to the arm rest, and it shuts off. If the record finishes, it will automatically return on its own. The right side of the platter, between the tonearm and the platter is a raised area for the center of a 45-RPM adapter. The SL-N5 is about 16.85" wide, about 13.7 inches deep, and about 5.25 inches tall (with the dust cover closed, keep in mind that you must raise the dust cover to operate it.
Local Pickup Available at no charge! I am in Tucker, GA (North and East of Atlanta) 5 times a week and in Monroe, GA (between Athens and Loganville) at least 5 days a week. Message me before you buy to arrange a pickup.
Shipping and Handling by USPS Ground Advantage with tracking to all points in the US for only $2.88.
(You pay less than I pay the USPS to ship your item, you can factcheck this... check your local post office and see how much it costs to ship a package to yourself with tracking)
Please allow One (1) Business Day after receiving payment for shipment.
Thanks, in advance, for your purchase!