HackRF PA repair

published 25.01.2019

HackRF is a versatile tool for RF testing of all sorts. Unfortunately the power amplifier stages do not like mismatched output impedances (bad connections, wrong antennas, wrong settings) and can be killed just by wrong settings.

I used Broadcom MGA-81563 as a replacement for the stock chips.
The LNA stage also uses the same chip and can be replaced in the same way if it is damaged.

The popular LNA4ALL amplifier can also be repaired by swapping the MMIC. It uses an PSA4-5043+. Due to the high P1dB/output power it can also be used as a first stage to drive bigger amplifiers.