A method and an apparatus for squelch gating a receiving signal depending on the level of phase noise in said receiving signal determines sampled amplitudes and sampled phases of said receiving signal, determines sampled phase noise by differentiating subsequent sampled phases, determines a squelch signal by rectifying and averaging said sampled phase noise, determines a start point of gating after a rising of said squelch signal above a higher threshold delayed by a first delay time, determines a end point of gating after a dropping of said squelch signal below a lower threshold delayed by a second delay time and gates said sampled amplitudes from said start point of gating until said end point of gating.