A transmit receive switch (TRSW) system is disclosed. The system has a transmission line, a transformer based matching network, a shunt switch, an amplifier and circuitry. The transmission line is connected to an antenna port. The transformer based matching network is connected to the transmission line and has a first coil and a second coil, wherein the second coil is connected to the transmission line. The amplifier can be configured as a shunt switch when inactive. The shunt switch, including the amplifier configured as the shunt switch, can be connected to the first coil of the transformer based matching network. The circuitry is configured to cause the shunt switch to be ON during an inactive mode and create a short across the first coil. Combined, the length of transmission line needed to complete the impedance transformation is reduced, thereby lowering the overall insertion loss of the transmit/receive switch.