What it does
Implements John Ehlers' MESA Adaptive Moving Average (MAMA) with its companion FAMA (Following Adaptive MA). Using a Hilbert Transform, the algorithm measures the market's dominant cycle phase and adapts the average's smoothing speed to it: it moves quickly when a trend is underway and slows to a crawl in cycles, and the FAMA follows at half the adaptive rate. Crossovers of MAMA and FAMA are the intended signals and are designed to be infrequent and trend-significant.
How to add it
Click Indicators (ƒx) in the header.
Search “Dext MAMA Indicator” and click the result.
Hover its legend row and click the gear to open settings.
How traders use it
- MAMA crossing above FAMA is the buy signal; crossing below is the sell signal — the adaptive design keeps these crosses relatively rare.
- Hold positions while the two lines stay apart; convergence of the pair warns momentum is fading.
- Use the MAMA line itself as a fast adaptive trend baseline: price holding above it keeps the bias long.
- Because it self-adjusts to the dominant cycle, MAMA suits instruments where fixed-length averages constantly need re-tuning.
Inputs
| Input | Type | Default | Range / Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Limit | number | 0.5 | 0.01–0.99 |
| Slow Limit | number | 0.05 | 0.001–0.5 |
| Source | select | hl2 | Close / Open / High / Low / HL2 / HLC3 / OHLC4 |
Plots & styling
| Plot | Style | Default color |
|---|---|---|
| MAMA | line | #2196F3 |
| FAMA | line | #FF9800 |
Every plot's color, line width and visibility can be changed on the Style tab. Precision, price-scale labels and status-line values are configurable at the bottom of the Style tab.
Tips
- Use Add to favorites in the legend menu; starred studies surface at the top of the picker.
- The legend eye toggles it off without losing your settings — handy for before/after comparisons.
- Its price-scale label can be switched off per-indicator at the bottom of the Style tab if the axis gets crowded.
Watch out for
- The Hilbert-transform cycle measurement assumes a meaningful dominant cycle exists; in erratic, news-driven price action the adaptation can behave unpredictably.
- Despite the adaptive design, sideways markets still generate occasional whipsaw crosses, and the fast/slow limit parameters materially change behavior.