Signals can be elusively short-lived and signal analysis difficult in tactical applications. Many electronic defense systems rely on a component that is a combination of a detector and an amplifier, such as a detector log video amplifier (DLVA) or a successive detection log video amplifier (SDLVA), to sort low-level signals from such a crowed signal environment. A SDLVA essentially adds gain stages to a DLVA to increase its amplitude dynamic range.
These types of amplifiers often boost small, transient signal voltages in electronic-warfare (EW) and electronic-intelligence (ELINT) systems to levels that can be analyzed to determine a proper response (such as distinguishing a friend from a foe). With their logarithmic video amplification, these components are particularly effective at processing narrow pulses with large variations in amplitude, as typically found in environments with operational radar and EW systems.