Hi,
I had 2 modules of nrf24l01 with pa lna. One I burned and I have no idea why. The other one I burned too but maybe you can help me understand what went wrong: the module only worked fine when I had to touch my hand on the antenna. If I touch my hand in the antenna everything works fine, otherwise not. Of course I could not stay touching the antenna all the time so I connected a jumper in my GND (arduino) and the other end of the jumper I touched in the antenna (it's an external plastic antenna with a wire in the core). I touched the plastic with the jumper and after that the nrf24l01 stopped working.
What went wrong? "Grounding" an antenna could burn the module?
What happens when you short the positive terminal on your car battery to ground? You pretty much did the same thing.
RF power amplifiers do not like to see loads that are not 50 ohms. A good design might be able to take it, but a cheap module, not so much.
Your hand has a much, much higher impedance than a direct short to ground.
@KeithRB really? I thought that the antenna was already grounded, I mean, I thought the antenna was already connected to GND but for some reason the connection might be not so good that's why I decided to connect the antenna to GND directly using a jumper... are you sure I shorted the circuit?
Yes. I am sure.
GNDs are connected to ground. Antennas are connected to freespace. There are loop antennas that connect to ground, but they are not random short pieces of wire, they are of a certain length to provide a good 50 ohm load to the amplifier. But in this case, you don't use a loop, anyway.
I thought the antenna was already connected to GND
Then how did you think it could possibly radiate anything if it were connected to ground?
@KeithRB so you are sure I destroyed my module, no way to save it? And let me ask another question; if I had touch VCC to the antenna, would it still destroy the module?
if I had touch VCC to the antenna, would it still destroy the module?
Yes there is a very good chance you would have, but without seeing the schematic of your transmitter it is impossible to be sure.
It is counter-intuitive, but VCC is a very good low impedance ground, once you get past that whole DC thing.
if you are right I burned my antenna... what was really strange is that when I was holding the anntenna I thought I was "grounding" it and because of that I was making the module work better. So I thought "hey, be smart connect a jumper to GND of arduino and to the antenna and you will have hands free". But it burned my module. So you say next time I should connect VCC of my arduino to the antenna housing and I will have no problem?
No, I said just the opposite. You need to connect a wire to the antenna, not ground, not VCC.
batata004:
if you are right I burned my antenna... what was really strange is that when I was holding the anntenna I thought I was "grounding" it and because of that I was making the module work better. So I thought "hey, be smart connect a jumper to GND of arduino and to the antenna and you will have hands free". But it burned my module. So you say next time I should connect VCC of my arduino to the antenna housing and I will have no problem?
Where is the connection from you to "ground" unless you are barefoot and up to your ankles in water? 
Which, by the way, is a good reason not to play with anything electrical if you are. Electricity 101 - it goes in a circle. My thinking would be that I'm part of a larger antenna.