Automatic gain control circuit

An automatic gain control circuit comprising:

• reception means for adjusting a level of an intermittently received signal having an information portion, the reception means including multiple gain stages comprising first and second gain stages each having a controllable gain;
• received signal processing means, coupled to receive the intermittently received signal from the reception means, for processing the information portion of the intermittently received signal after a predetermined period of time from when said intermittently received signal is received from said reception means;
• reception field level detection means for detecting a level of an electric field of said intermittently received signal and producing, during successive gain control operations of the first and second gain stages, respectively, a first gain control quantity based on a first reception field level detection point and a second gain control quantity based on a second reception field level detection point that is determined by the first gain control quantity for executing a multi-stage gain control;
• and
• a plurality of automatic gain control means for controlling the gain of the first and second gain stages of said reception means in accordance with the first and second gain control quantities, respectively, for adjusting the level of the intermittently received signal within said predetermined period of time and holding said controlled gain after said predetermined period of time elapses, wherein there is a predetermined time delay after the gain control operation of the first gain stage until start of the gain control operation of the second gain stage and the second reception field level detection point is determined after the gain control operation of the first stage is completed.