A reduced noise and selectively configurable plasma device is capable of interpreting electromagnetic signals having an operating frequency and has a plasma mechanism with a plasma that is ionizable to a plasma frequency. An ionizing mechanism for ionizing the plasma and a control that is operative to control the ionizing mechanism, ionize the plasma to the plasma frequency by application of plasma ionizing energy pulses. An interpreting mechanism operates to interpret the electromagnetic signals only in a period between ionization of the plasma with the energy pulses.