In an SSB/CW receiver, what is the purpose of the radio frequency (RF) amplifier?

The radio frequency (RF) amplifier is usually the first active electronic stage in a receiver, located immediately after the antenna. Its primary job is to take the extremely weak electrical currents generated by the antenna and amplify them without adding excessive internal noise. By boosting these faint signals right at the input, the RF amplifier directly increases the overall sensitivity of the receiver. This allows the radio to detect, pull out, and process very faint signals from distant stations that would otherwise be lost in the background noise. Other options are incorrect because the RF amplifier does not drive the local oscillator. Furthermore, Automatic Gain Control (AGC) relies on intermediate frequency (IF) or audio stages, and limiters are a feature typically found in FM receivers, not standard SSB/CW RF stages.