In telecommunications, squelch is a circuit function that acts to suppress the audio (or video) output of a receiver in the absence of a sufficiently strong desired input signal. Squelch excludes undesired lower-power input signals that may be present at or near the frequency of the desired signal. Squelch is a noise gate that only allows signals at a specified strength over a threshold to be played through the speaker. As an example, general static (with no transmission) is squelched out. (Contrast with noise suppression.)