Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting an RF signal transmitted between an implantable medical device (IMD) and an external medical device programmer in a telemetry session and discriminating the telemetry transmitted RF signal from transient and steady state noise corrupting it. The external programmer includes a programmer telemetry antenna tuned circuit adapted to be driven into oscillation to generate tuned circuit output signals in response to telemetry uplink transmissions of telemetry uplink signals from the IMD, wherein the tuned circuit output signals can exhibit noise artifacts due to contamination by electrical noise. An RF telemetry receiver section detects and demodulates the telemetry uplink signals from the tuned circuit output signals and provides a demodulated uplink signal having a demodulated uplink signal amplitude that varies with time as a function of telemetry uplink signal amplitudes and noise artifacts.