nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

Tech_EE — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:09:44 GMT

AspirantRyan I had to request the Qorvo datasheet as well. I'm not sure why some suppliers don't publish shipping parts to their website for engineers to quickly review. Attaching the QM13345 datasheet to save others a few days of waiting. :)

devzone.nordicsemi.com/.../QM13345-Data-Sheet-Rev-I-_2800_3_2900_.pdf

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

AspirantRyan — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:42:19 GMT

I am also interested in using the technology as described. Please update if you were successful using the Infineon chip!

In the meantime Tech_EE it seems compatibility is dependent on the AT%XMIPIRFFECTRL command. I've requested the datasheet from Qorvo to make exact comparisons on registers/parameters, and I'm waiting to hear back. I'll update what I can, but due to the datasheet's restricted nature I would suggest you also submit a request if you haven't already.

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

Tech_EE — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:43:51 GMT

Hi Dominic,

Thank you for the antenna tuner research!

Were you successful in using the Infineon BGSA147ML10? Any issues vs. using the Qorvo QM13345?

Cheers!

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

Dominic — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:15:26 GMT

Hello, I’m in the same boat. I love the new active antenna tuning strategy on the Thingy91:X — it’s a huge step forward. But I have to say, I was disappointed to see Qorvo again! They’re such a pain to work with: you have to request the datasheet, and you can’t actually buy the parts unless you’re ordering in volume. I’d argue that this part isn’t really “available” at all.

That said, the RFFE-based tuning strategy is much faster and lower power than the old MAGPIO approach, and it gives a lot more flexibility. However, Nordic doesn’t really explain what’s going on between the nRF9151 and the QM13345, and that matching circuit looks like fresh hell.

I considered swapping in a Skyworks RFFE-controlled antenna switch, but then I noticed something interesting buried in the Thingy91X board files:

config MODEM_ANTENNA_AT_MIPIRFFECTRL_ON
default "AT%XMIPIRFFECTRL=1,1,1,28,56,13,0,0,8,8,715,4,4,770,12,12,829,11,11,863,130,130,892,1,1,939,129,129,978,26,26,1042,8,8,1118,4,4,1270,12,12,1386,14,14,1523,130,130,2200"

This is an MIPI RFFE command that configures the four-port switch to connect the right matching components. You can see, for example, that 8,8,715 switches in channel RF4 for 715 MHz (0b1000 to the control register). But then there’s 130,130,892 — at 892 MHz it writes 130 (0b10000010) to the control register. There’s a bit beyond the number of ports! Then you see 12 being used at 829 MHz — that’s 0b1100, meaning two RF ports are switched in simultaneously - more hell.

That’s when it clicked: the “antenna switch” QM13345 isn’t just a switch at all — it’s actually an antenna tuner. It can shunt any of its RF ports to ground, dynamically shaping the impedance network, making an array of possible outcomes.

A bit of digging later, I found the exact paper that explains everything — authored by Ignion themselves:
Reconfigurable Antenna Booster System for Multiband Operation in IoT Devices With an SP4T Switch

It’s mind-blowing — it details the crazy switching logic, the matching networks, and the design reasoning behind it all. Once you read it, the Thingy91X schematic suddenly makes sense!

Even better, I’ve found a drop-in, available alternative: the Infineon BGSA147ML10. It does everything the QM13345 does, and you can actually buy it from Mouser right now. We might need to tweak the AT%XMIPIRFFECTRL command slightly, but we’ll find out soon enough.

That paper explains everything.

Happy Tuesday!

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

Kenneth — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 11:12:52 GMT

It's fully controlled by the modem yes and the pins used are fixed:
https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ps_nrf9151/page/pin.html

Kenneth

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

sean — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 01:23:35 GMT

The modem FW is closed source, I can't watch it from my end

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

Asbjørn — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:46:16 GMT

Hi Sean,

the switch is then controlled by the MAGPIOs controlled by the modem: https://docs.nordicsemi.com/bundle/ps_nrf9151/page/ip/radio_lte/doc/magpio_if.html

Regarding the source code question, I'm not sure I understand. Are you looking for the source code for the modem FW?

Best regards

Asbjørn

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

sean — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 01:57:57 GMT

[quote userid="2729" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/123770/nrf9151-antenna-tuning-switch/546340"]Both these are GPIO controlled.[/quote]

Is this gpio controlled by a modem or user software ? What is the gpio number for hardware optional？

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

sean — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 01:12:28 GMT

By the way, does thingy91_mfw-1.3.7_sdk-2.8.0.zip this sample have source code ？

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

Asbjørn — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:51:44 GMT

Hello Sean,

I had to ask around here a bit on this topic.

The QM13345 is available, but there are volume requirements involved.

It's the only option we've considered that has MIPI interface. The alternatives we have considered would be:

Kyocera AVX EC646
Infineon BGSA14GN10

Both these are GPIO controlled.

Best regards

Asbjørn

RE: nRF9151 antenna tuning switch

sean — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 00:55:51 GMT

Is there any update?