Receiver control in a communication device by antenna de-tuning in strong signal conditions, and method therefor

A communication device comprising:

• an antenna for receiving a signal;
• a receiver circuit having an input coupled to the antenna and an output, the receiver circuit demodulating the signal which is received by the antenna and having a signal strength measuring circuit for generating a signal strength indicator signal representing a strength of the signal received by the antenna;
• a controller coupled to the receiver circuit for receiving as input the signal strength indicator signal and generating a tuning signal in response thereto;
• and
• an antenna tuning circuit coupled to the controller and responsive to the tuning signal for tuning the antenna to a reduced gain level when the strength of the signal received by the antenna is indicative of strong signal conditions, wherein the controller comprises a micro-controller having a memory for storing a table of tuning signal voltages for tuning the antenna to a range of gain values at a given operating frequency dependent on the signal strength of the signal received by the antenna.