
Initially, the lightweight Pedestal is latched onto the string bed. The probe, projecting from the bottom of the Pedestal, extends through the string bed and maintains contact with the surface below. The gauge is zeroed (by rotating the gauge dial face).
The Tracket Collar, once placed onto the Pedestal, applies a precise force (5.00 lbf / 2.27 kg) on and perpendicular to the string bed. The string bed deflection, resulting from the Collar's weight, presses the probe into the Pedestal by an equal amount. Due to the probe's relative movement, the gauge displays a measurement reading that corresponds precisely to the amount by which the string bed deflected.
To be clear, the deflection shown in the graphic above is exaggerated for demonstration purposes. The Tracket actually deflects the string bed less than the diameter of a tennis string. For tennis rackets, string bed deflection measured by the Tracket typically ranges between 15 and 40 thousandths of an inch. The diameter of a 16 gauge tennis string measures about 50 thousandths of an inch.

The above graph shows the relationship between Tracket deflection readings and string bed stiffness (SBS). For example, suppose you perform a Tracket measurement on your racket and the deflection reading is 25.0. Referring to the graph, 25.0 equals 200 lbf/inch SBS. In other words, for the present state of your racket's string bed, 200 lbf is required per inch of deflection.
The graph shows a reading range from 15.0 to 40.0 which corresponds to 125 to 325 lbf/inch SBS. This range encompasses typical tennis racket readings. It would be highly unusual for a player to string their racket tight enough to yield an SBS greater than 325 lbf/inch. Similarly, most players would consider a racket with an SBS of 125 lbf/inch to be unplayable.
Of course you do not need to refer to a graph every time you take a Tracket measurement. As a player, you will quickly learn the reading ranges that you find acceptable.
To assist you with this, the Tracket Cloud allows you to easily record measurements using your smart-phone or computer. To access the Tracket Cloud, login to your Golden Set account then click on 'Tracket Cloud' from the main menu. To get started, you will need to add a few pieces of information such as a racket, stringer and string type. Once this is done, you can start recording Tracket measurements and restrings. The Tracket Cloud provides analysis tools to help you interpret and make decisions based on your recorded data.
