A method for setting an initial gain and an initial offset for an automatic gain and offset controller (AGOC) is described. The method includes determining a gain level at which a signal does not under-saturate or over-saturate an input to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) by performing a binary search over a fixed set of gain levels while an offset is fixed. The method also includes determining an offset correction to bring an unmodulated carrier level at an output of the ADC to a target level. The method may also include updating the gain and the offset in response to changes in a signal level.