From the online sales I've found, the turntable is worth less than $50. Spending twice that or more on a cartridge is not worth it to me. thanks to all for their help

Sounds like it's the cartridge. I tried lots of settings for the weight, so that's not likely the problem. Given the costs of a new cartridge, I fear the turntable will soon be off to the great bin in the sky. thanks

I'm trying to setup my Beogram 1602, with MMC20E cartridge, that's been sitting in a box for many years. I balanced the tonearm so that it floats, then tried dialing in weights. Whatever weight I set, when I start the turntable, the arm starts in the right place on the record, then quickly moves in a few inches. At higher weights, such as 2