I just wanted to give folks a warning about ESD (electro-static discharge) damage with RF receiver modules.
Many of the inexpensive modules out there (e.g. $6US or so) do not have much (if any) protection against static damage on the antenna terminal.
You might not have problems if you just hook up a short wire antenna and never touch it again, but that's no guarantee. It does not require much to damage these modules. You won't necessarily feel the static discharge from your finger that damages the receiver.
The symptoms of static damage range from reduced sensitivity to total failure. If it seems like it just isn't working as well as it used to, it could be ESD damage. Happened to me 
Good thing these things are only $6 and I bought an extra.
The manufacturers should include protection for this, but they often don't. You can add it for a dollar. Get yourself a pair of very low capacitance microwave PIN diodes and install them back-to-back between the antenna terminal and ground. The Avago HSMP-3812 is a good choice and contains two series connected diodes in a single SOT-23 package. It's just the right size to solder the center terminal to the antenna terminal on the receiver module and the other two pins to the ground terminal. The installation is neat an tidy and this way, the module is protected even before you start soldering it onto a shield board.
Hope this helps some folks!