A real‐time digital filter is described which may be most useful for optimal determination of the magnitude of impulse‐response functions found in pulsed, repetitive experiments of low duty cycle. This filter is based on a matched filter but employs an interference orthogonalization step. This results in a signal magnitude estimate which is independent of coherent interference. The filter updates the signal magnitude estimate upon each repetition of the experimental cycle. Comparisons to signal estimation using gated sampling devices are given.