help me adjust vacuume advance

I am having a hell of a time adjusting my vacuume advance on my distributer.
My distributer is a mopar performance distributer that i just purchased brand new from don at FBO. I am running my vacuume advance off of ported vacuume, even tho don told me it needs to be on manifold vacuume.
I tried manifold vaccume and just could not get it to run right that way, so i'm leaving it on ported vacuume.
Do i just keep advancing the vacuume canister untill i i read 52 degrees all in with the vacuume advance plugged in to ported vacuume source?
Or do i need to get a vacuume guage and hook it up to the ported vacuume source and drive it and red what rpm i have highest amount of vaccume and then set adjust my vacuume advance to read 52 degrees at that rpm?
I just dont know much about vacuume advance or how to tune it and really need help here. My engine is surging and running crummy in the lower rpm's but at half throttle or beyond its running great. So i know i need to get the vacuume advance dialed in correctly.