A VLF beacon operates in the near field of the antenna, providing a low impedance (magnetic) wave located by employing simple amplitude gradient and phase alignment direction finding (DF) methods. When rotated, the beacon antenna radiates its signal with little attenuation. Beacon antennas include a loop antenna which has a 1/r3 B-field amplitude relationship with distance. The antenna radiation range is limited, but the detectable near field signal is strong. The receiver comprises a simple 2-channel RF front end with filtering and an A/D converter. The antenna for each channel is a much smaller ferrite rod loaded loop.