Ok... here's what:
Calculations within the controller for the gains, etc... something called 'relative' gain' shown on the status page, not on the signals page.
10 * 5 * 40 = 2000 relative gain :1666
It is calculated on a reference standard, used by all systems, and the server... baseline trigger threshold0 of 100MV.
This relative gain figure influences a whole lot of processing and comparisons on the server and is the first paradigm for quality...
In theory, everybody would have a threshold setting of 100, the same exact antenna, etc... . That is not possible, of course.The threshold actually is a DIGITAL function, not an ANALOG function. And the Relative Gain Computation is what the ADC uses to reference the 'signal' characteristics, along with frequency components, etc..
Gain settings work on Analog chain... and only affects the output amplitude to the ADC...
Now, to keep thing simple, all you need do, is set the digital 'threshold', so that any signal lower than some voltage, at the analog output, will NOT trigger the ADC...You may see them on your signals display, if a different channel triggers the ADC, but THAT channel DIDN"T.. follow me?The 'Triggered' channel will probably be sent to the server... once ADC is triggered, all signals within the threshold restrictions will be sent. (see the 'setting' "ignore signals below threshold percentage"... those normally aren't sent.
Regardless, the server will only select the 'best' channel info from your station for analysis. Just one. The Best....and the first thing server does is query "IS this signal threshold greater than twice the receiver's noise floor?" If "NO"... it immediately drops the signal, and won't process it. That assumes it made it to the server, and the controller itself allowed it to be sent.
So, however you set things, whatever your average noise level, ambient, no signals or junk, your trigger should be at LEAST twice that voltage.
You can rais or lower gains all day, and mess with your average operation, but it's the threshold setting that's critical.Automatic mode plays hell with this, especially in certain environments like mine. If you're running an average noise floor 40mv or lower, you're in good shape, and a trigger of 85 is fine... UNLESS you've got these noise pulsed sending junk... and theyr'e triggering at 110MB for example... set that channel to 115... voila, no junk, and you won't affect your 'quality' ,... yeah.. if you're detecting some strokes at 5000Km you might drop to 4000km... so what. ... you're signals probably aren't used for location at that distance, anyway ... and that's the goal of Blitzortung... Locating strokes... an am radio can 'detect' a stroke... heh....
So.. if you've got, like me, sporadic noise makers..... automatic may not be your friend...
You cannot mitigate this in Automatic Mode... you must set things in manual first, or automatic will drie you nuts.
when the offender is present, set the threshold high enough so that it just barely WILL NOT trigger that channel... if it's triggering more than one, set them also...
Now your system will hum along pretty well on average, much of the time, in this manual setting. If you go back to automatic, it's going to play games turning the gains up and down... enjoy it, I guess...or stay manual...You may be a new member of the Cutty Sark Sailor All Manual Mode Network.