>>>>when you first get the signal the tone is loud (especially when you have it turned on to max). After about 4 seconds it cuts the sound down to almost nill, just enough so you can still barely hear it. <<<<
Okay. The V1 can be set for 3,4,5,7,15,20,30 seconds auto mute, at least on some bands. And then it will unmute under some circumstances, which can be tweaked. And the rear originating signals can come up muted at all times. Some other stuff like meter sensitivity and so forth too.
http://www.valentine1.com/lab/MikesLabRpt3.asp
Stan