A wireless communication device includes an antenna configured with two conductive elements separated by an insulating medium providing a separation distance. One conductive element is a ground plane and the other is a microstrip line. The microstrip line and the ground plane exhibit a characteristic impedance that may vary along the length of the microstrip line. The separation distance of the microstrip line from the ground plane is changed to reduce the resonant frequency of the microstrip line. A second microstrip line with an open end and another end shorted to the ground plane is operative to prevent RF current from flowing on the backside of the ground plane. A backside of the ground plane and the second microstrip line may be covered with a lossy magnetic medium to reduce the near field in the space above the backside of the ground plane.