On every Speed Graphic I've ever used, the infinity position was when the track was retracted all the way. Recently I got a 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 Pacemaker, and Pacemakers are set up so you have to rack the track forward a tiny bit to reach infinity. I checked the online literature and it says this was done intentionally at the factory because some photographers like to focus infinity visually, but it can be changed to be like earlier cameras if the user prefers it that way.

I'm wondering how many Pacemaker owners here like the factory setup and how many have changed it to be like the Anniversary, etc? To me it seems rather stupid to have to find your infinity on the ground glass or the footage scale every time, and smaller cameras always have a fixed infinity. (In fact, early Leicas, Contaxes, and other 35mm rangefinder cameras have lenses that lock at infinity, so you have to push a catch to focus them forward).

I can't think of any possible advantage to the way Pacemakers are set up, but I assume there must be one or they wouldn't have changed. Is there an advantage I haven't noticed? I put a new beamsplitter in the rangefinder and am recalibrating it to the lens now, so this would be a good time to change.

Infinity position of the yoke is fully retracted from introduction of the Speed in 1912 through the Anniversary Speed ending in 1946.
With the introduction of the Pacemaker series in 1947 the yoke position was changed to forward from fully retracted 0.040 ± 0.010 inch.
This allowed for focusing past infinity which many press photographers preferred.
Once the rangefinder and/or focus scale is set for the position its easy to focus from bed opening with either the rangefinder, focus scale, or ground glass as the initial point is a starting point from which exact focus can be reached easily.
On rare occasion I have had a fully retracted setting to be off by 0.0001 inch resulting in having to stop down further than the lighting called for or camera wear or a bump knocked infinity off but the extra 0.030 to 0.050 inch movement would have allowed for focus correction without stopping down. One instance is where the infinity stops move forward slightly from repeated positioning of the front standard against them and with no reward movement of the yoke one is left with soft images wide open, stopping down, or reestablishing infinity with the stops.
The position is purely a matter of taste or personal preference.

What is critical is using an infinity target that is at least 5000 feet away. Celestial objects work best for infinity targets and will be soft if a target closer than 5000 feet is used. Calibrate with the lens wide open.

http://www.graflex.org/manuals/

45PSS wrote:

On rare occasion I have had a fully retracted setting to be off by 0.0001 inch resulting in having to stop down further than the lighting called for or camera wear or a bump knocked infinity off but the extra 0.030 to 0.050 inch movement would have allowed for focus correction without stopping down. One instance is where the infinity stops move forward slightly from repeated positioning of the front standard against them and with no reward movement of the yoke one is left with soft images wide open, stopping down, or reestablishing infinity with the stops. The position is purely a matter of taste or personal preference. What is critical is using an infinity target that is at least 5000 feet away. Celestial objects work best for infinity targets and will be soft if a target closer than 5000 feet is used. Calibrate with the lens wide open. http://www.graflex.org/manuals/

This is certainly possible, but for me I think it's more likely I'd make an error by setting it wrong when I wanted to take a picture at infinity. I'd rather have the infinity where the track is retracted , then set infinity carefully at high magnification, and put the stops there so I can repeat it instantly in the future. If you somehow displaced the infinity stops forward, you could always unlock the front standard and move it back slightly.

Concerning infinity targets, I can look out my back window and see the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building glittering away across New York Harbor day or night. That's about 6 miles. Not as distant as a celestial body, but much more convenient.

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I can look out my back window and see the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building glittering away across New York Harbor day or night. That's about 6 miles.

That will definitely work. I'm slowly loosing the view of a Genentech building 1 1/4 miles away due to the new construction in the area that resembles Chinese Bogotas.
The Oakland hills are harder to see and position a camera on tripod in the line of sight is difficult to obtain. Be sure you are measuring nautical miles in the direct line of sight and not street distance. Also make sure the front standard locks down parallel to the film plane (same distance from the rail ends works) as the standard has a tendency to shift to the side that the lock lever is pushed. I usually just push the lever just enough to snug the standard as full lock will shift it before the infinity stops are set. Set the stop's front screw then move the standard back and set the rear screw. One screw should have a point and the other a cup bottom. Over tightening will distort the rails.