Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling the AGC in a receiver is described. Samples of the input signal are compared to the upper and lower threshold values which are defined by the dynamic range of the A-to-D converter. These samples are recorded and used in determining whether to count-up or count-down in counters prior to the time the signal is detected. These counts provide, in effect, a history of what has occurred prior to signal detection and are used in computing an AGC gain. The gain can be computed more quickly since there is zero latency in starting the calculation for correcting the AGC.