diff --git a/demod_2400.c b/demod_2400.c
index 7ed1a299..01b51674 100644
--- a/demod_2400.c
+++ b/demod_2400.c
@@ -287,6 +287,16 @@ void demodulate2400(struct mag_buf *mag) {
     uint16_t *pa = m;
     uint16_t *stop = m + mlen;
 
+    uint16_t *statsProgress = m;
+
+    const uint32_t statsWindow = MODES_SHORT_MSG_SAMPLES / 2; // half a short message
+    uint32_t loudSamples = 0;
+    uint32_t quietSamples = 0;
+    uint32_t quiet2Samples = 0;
+    uint32_t loudThreshold = 55000 * statsWindow; // max 65536
+    uint32_t quietThreshold = 800 * statsWindow;
+    uint32_t quiet2Threshold = 2 * quietThreshold;
+
     for (; pa < stop; pa++) {
         int32_t pa_mag, base_noise, ref_level;
         int msglen;
@@ -308,6 +318,18 @@ void demodulate2400(struct mag_buf *mag) {
         // due to plenty room in the message buffer for decoding
         // we can with pa go beyond stop without a buffer overrun ...
 
+        if (Modes.autoGain && pa >= statsProgress) {
+            uint32_t magSum = 0;
+            for (uint32_t i = 0; i < statsWindow; i++) {
+                magSum += pa[i];
+            }
+            loudSamples += statsWindow * (magSum > loudThreshold);
+            quietSamples += statsWindow * (magSum < quietThreshold);
+            quiet2Samples += statsWindow * (magSum < quiet2Threshold);
+
+            statsProgress = pa + statsWindow;
+        }
+
         if (pa[1] > pa[7] && pa[12] > pa[14] && pa[12] > pa[15]) { goto after_pre; }
         pa++; if (pa[1] > pa[7] && pa[12] > pa[14] && pa[12] > pa[15]) { goto after_pre; }
         pa++; if (pa[1] > pa[7] && pa[12] > pa[14] && pa[12] > pa[15]) { goto after_pre; }
@@ -471,6 +493,10 @@ void demodulate2400(struct mag_buf *mag) {
         netUseMessage(mm);
     }
 
+    mag->loudSamples = loudSamples;
+    mag->quietSamples = quietSamples;
+    mag->quiet2Samples = quiet2Samples;
+
     /* update noise power */
     {
         double sum_signal_power = sum_scaled_signal_power / 65535.0 / 65535.0;
diff --git a/readsb.c b/readsb.c
index 10f38f26..69b1a22f 100644
--- a/readsb.c
+++ b/readsb.c
@@ -751,6 +751,65 @@ static void *globeBinEntryPoint(void *arg) {
     return NULL;
 }
 
+static void gainStatistics(struct mag_buf *buf) {
+    static uint64_t loudSamples;
+    static uint64_t quietSamples;
+    static uint64_t quiet2Samples;
+    static uint64_t totalSamples;
+    static int slowRise;
+    static int lastGain;
+
+    loudSamples += buf->loudSamples;
+    quietSamples += buf->quietSamples;
+    quiet2Samples += buf->quiet2Samples;
+    totalSamples += buf->length;
+
+    if (totalSamples < 2 * Modes.sample_rate) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    double loudPercent = loudSamples / (double) totalSamples * 100.0;
+    double quietPercent = quietSamples / (double) totalSamples * 100.0;
+    double quiet2Percent = quiet2Samples / (double) totalSamples * 100.0;
+
+    // reset
+    loudSamples = 0;
+    quietSamples = 0;
+    quiet2Samples = 0;
+    totalSamples = 0;
+
+    if (!Modes.autoGain) {
+        // don't adjust anything
+        return;
+    }
+
+    if (loudPercent > 0.05 || quiet2Percent < 0.05) {
+        Modes.lowerGain = 1;
+    } else if (
+            quietPercent > 10.0
+            ) {
+        if (getUptime() < 1 * MINUTES || slowRise > 10) {
+            slowRise = 0;
+            Modes.increaseGain = 1;
+        } else {
+            slowRise++;
+        }
+    }
+    if (Modes.increaseGain || Modes.lowerGain) {
+        if (getUptime() < 1 * MINUTES) {
+            Modes.lowerGain *= 2;
+            Modes.increaseGain *= 2;
+        }
+        if (Modes.gain != lastGain) {
+            lastGain = Modes.gain;
+            fprintf(stderr, "loud: %8.4f %% quiet: %8.4f %% quiet2 %8.4f %%\n", loudPercent, quietPercent, quiet2Percent);
+        }
+        sdrSetGain();
+    }
+
+}
+
+
 static void timingStatistics(struct mag_buf *buf) {
     static int64_t last_ts;
 
@@ -873,6 +932,10 @@ static void *decodeEntryPoint(void *arg) {
                     demodulate2400AC(buf);
                 }
 
+                gainStatistics(buf);
+                timingStatistics(buf);
+
+                Modes.stats_current.samples_lost += Modes.sdr_buf_samples - buf->length;
                 Modes.stats_current.samples_processed += buf->length;
                 Modes.stats_current.samples_dropped += buf->dropped;
                 end_cpu_timing(&start_time, &Modes.stats_current.demod_cpu);
@@ -883,10 +946,6 @@ static void *decodeEntryPoint(void *arg) {
                 pthread_cond_signal(&Threads.reader.cond);
                 unlockReader();
 
-                Modes.stats_current.samples_lost += Modes.sdr_buf_samples - buf->length;
-
-                timingStatistics(buf);
-
                 watchdogCounter = 100; // roughly 10 seconds
             } else {
                 // Nothing to process this time around.
@@ -1446,7 +1505,12 @@ static error_t parse_opt(int key, char *arg, struct argp_state *state) {
             Modes.dev_name = strdup(arg);
             break;
         case OptGain:
-            Modes.gain = (int) (atof(arg)*10); // Gain is in tens of DBs
+            if (strcmp(arg, "auto") == 0) {
+                Modes.autoGain = 1;
+                Modes.gain = 439;
+            } else {
+                Modes.gain = (int) (atof(arg)*10); // Gain is in tens of DBs
+            }
             break;
         case OptFreq:
             Modes.freq = (int) strtoll(arg, NULL, 10);
diff --git a/readsb.h b/readsb.h
index 77a7ae22..a02e894a 100644
--- a/readsb.h
+++ b/readsb.h
@@ -456,6 +456,10 @@ struct mag_buf
     unsigned length; // Number of valid samples _after_ overlap. Total buffer length is buf->length + Modes.trailing_samples.
     int64_t sysTimestamp; // Estimated system time at start of block
     int64_t sysMicroseconds; // sysTimestamp in microseconds
+    uint32_t loudSamples;
+    uint32_t quietSamples;
+    uint32_t quiet2Samples;
+    uint32_t padding2;
     uint16_t *data; // Magnitude data. Starts with Modes.trailing_samples worth of overlap from the previous block
 #if defined(__arm__)
     /*padding 4 bytes*/
@@ -529,6 +533,9 @@ struct _Modes
     pthread_mutex_t sdrControlMutex;
     int8_t sdrInitialized;
     int8_t sdrOpenFailed;
+    int8_t increaseGain;
+    int8_t lowerGain;
+    int8_t autoGain;
     int gain;
     int dc_filter; // should we apply a DC filter?
     int enable_agc;
diff --git a/sdr_rtlsdr.c b/sdr_rtlsdr.c
index 587ac332..5123a583 100644
--- a/sdr_rtlsdr.c
+++ b/sdr_rtlsdr.c
@@ -91,7 +91,47 @@ void rtlsdrInitConfig() {
     RTLSDR.tunerAgcEnabled = 0;
 }
 
+static int getClosestGainIndex(int target) {
+    target = (target == MODES_MAX_GAIN ? 9999 : target);
+    int closest = 0;
+
+    for (int i = 0; i < RTLSDR.numgains; ++i) {
+        if (abs(RTLSDR.gains[i] - target) < abs(RTLSDR.gains[closest] - target)) {
+            closest = i;
+        }
+    }
+    return closest;
+}
+
 void rtlsdrSetGain() {
+    if (Modes.increaseGain || Modes.lowerGain) {
+        int closest = getClosestGainIndex(Modes.gain);
+        if (Modes.increaseGain) {
+            closest += Modes.increaseGain;
+        } else if (Modes.lowerGain) {
+            closest -= Modes.lowerGain;
+        }
+        if (closest >= RTLSDR.numgains) {
+            closest = RTLSDR.numgains - 1;
+        }
+        if (closest < 0) {
+            closest = 0;
+        }
+        Modes.increaseGain = 0;
+        Modes.lowerGain = 0;
+
+        if (Modes.gain == RTLSDR.gains[closest]) {
+            // same gain, nothing to do
+            return;
+        }
+
+        // change gain
+        Modes.gain = RTLSDR.gains[closest];
+    }
+
+    if (Modes.gain < 0) {
+        Modes.gain = 0;
+    }
     if (Modes.gain == MODES_AUTO_GAIN || Modes.gain >= 520) {
         Modes.gain = 590;
 
@@ -104,13 +144,7 @@ void rtlsdrSetGain() {
         }
     } else {
 
-        int target = (Modes.gain == MODES_MAX_GAIN ? 9999 : Modes.gain);
-        int closest = -1;
-
-        for (int i = 0; i < RTLSDR.numgains; ++i) {
-            if (closest == -1 || abs(RTLSDR.gains[i] - target) < abs(RTLSDR.gains[closest] - target))
-                closest = i;
-        }
+        int closest = getClosestGainIndex(Modes.gain);
         int newGain = RTLSDR.gains[closest];
 
         if (RTLSDR.tunerAgcEnabled) {