Starting the deck and end of play.
Having previously ensured your record player is sitting on a firm, level, surface and that the correct speed and stylus are selected, operate the Start control. Depending on the make of deck, move the control to the 'Auto' or 'Reject' positions. To ensure positive action, hold the control in that position for a moment or two until you hear the mechanism swinging into action and/or you see the tonearm lift off its rest.
Once started, release the control carefully - not suddenly. To release the control suddenly (ie simply letting go of it) may cause it, due to spring tension, to jump right back to the 'Off' position. Releasing the control carefully also helps avoid excessive bouncing of the deck on its suspension.
At the end of play, the deck should appear as per the image attached below. The turntable should stop, the tonearm should return to its rest and the righthand controls should be off. Be aware that on decks such as the Garrard shown earlier, when running the control sits in the Manual position (regardless of what mode the deck has been operating in) and will move to the Off position at the end of play once the tonearm has returned to its rest. The action of this is rather more obvious on Garrards than with rotary controls as per Collaro which tend to be rather 'softer' acting.
As mentioned, always ensure the Off/Manual/Auto control (to use Garrard terminology) is indeed off if you've finished a record playing session. Leaving the controls 'on' will leave the idler wheel, which transmits drive from motor to turntable, prone to damage. How and why on Earth some folk pack a record player away with the deck controls 'in gear' is a mystery but it does happen.
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