Live with a cistern and am trying washing machine without water hookups---haul water to put in the top. Cannot get the start cycle triggered even with knobs in right place and can hear sound of electricity turned on (will shoot the water OUT if go to THAT part of cycle, but will not begin rotating) -- Have top closed and filter inserted per instructions..?

When water is entering the tub, the water level in the tub will rise. Air trapped in a specific rubber hose is pressurized by this, and the higher the water level gets, the higher the pressure becomes.
At a preset maximum level the pressure switch attached to this hose closes the water inlet valve that normally supplies the water, and starts the timer to go to the next step in the program.

Most probably you are not filling the tub high enough. So please first check that out. Raise the water level liter by liter to a max of half the tub height.

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