diff --git a/src/trx-core/src/rig/state.rs b/src/trx-core/src/rig/state.rs
index b4e88d7..b2b0efc 100644
--- a/src/trx-core/src/rig/state.rs
+++ b/src/trx-core/src/rig/state.rs
@@ -430,7 +430,11 @@ pub struct RdsData {
 }
 
 /// RDS metadata snapshot for a virtual channel.
-#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq)]
+///
+/// `PartialEq` intentionally ignores `signal_db` so that rapidly-changing
+/// signal levels do not cause the main state snapshot to diff on every poll
+/// cycle (signal_db flows through the spectrum SSE instead).
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct VchanRdsEntry {
     /// Virtual channel UUID.
     pub id: Uuid,
@@ -442,6 +446,12 @@ pub struct VchanRdsEntry {
     pub signal_db: Option<f32>,
 }
 
+impl PartialEq for VchanRdsEntry {
+    fn eq(&self, other: &Self) -> bool {
+        self.id == other.id && self.rds == other.rds
+    }
+}
+
 /// Read-only projection of state shared with clients.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq)]
 pub struct RigSnapshot {
diff --git a/src/trx-server/trx-backend/trx-backend-soapysdr/src/dsp/channel.rs b/src/trx-server/trx-backend/trx-backend-soapysdr/src/dsp/channel.rs
index 877c555..ab6ec55 100644
--- a/src/trx-server/trx-backend/trx-backend-soapysdr/src/dsp/channel.rs
+++ b/src/trx-server/trx-backend/trx-backend-soapysdr/src/dsp/channel.rs
@@ -675,12 +675,14 @@ impl ChannelDsp {
 
         // Carrier power: DC component of the mixed signal (narrow-band estimate
         // at the tuned frequency).  Correlates with the spectrum FFT peak.
+        // EMA smoothing (α ≈ 0.4) for fast response with light jitter reduction.
         {
+            const SIGNAL_EMA_ALPHA: f32 = 0.4;
             let inv_n = 1.0 / n as f32;
             let dc_i: f32 = mixed_i.iter().sum::<f32>() * inv_n;
             let dc_q: f32 = mixed_q.iter().sum::<f32>() * inv_n;
-            let carrier_power = dc_i * dc_i + dc_q * dc_q;
-            self.last_signal_db = 10.0 * carrier_power.max(1e-12).log10();
+            let carrier_db = 10.0 * (dc_i * dc_i + dc_q * dc_q).max(1e-12).log10();
+            self.last_signal_db += SIGNAL_EMA_ALPHA * (carrier_db - self.last_signal_db);
         }
 
         self.lpf_iq.filter_block_into(