Object locating apparatus, system and high-gain, high-selectivity antennae therefor

A lost-object locating apparatus comprising:

• one or more beacons each affixable to an object subject to loss and each configured repeatedly to transmit a signal substantially omni-directionally in response to a received query signal, and
• a hand-grippable tracker configured to emit a distinctive query signal therefrom, to receive each responsive signal transmitted from the one or more beacons and to determine the distance and direction of the one or more beacons from the tracker.

An object locating system comprising:

• one or more beacons each comprising a means to receive a distinctive query radio signal and a means to transmit a radio signal to a tracker in response to detecting the query signal;
• one or more portable and hand-grippable trackers each comprising a means to repeatedly transmit the distinctive query radio signal a means to receive responsive radio signal from the one or more beacons, a means to determine at least one of a direction and distance to the one or more beacons, and a means to indicate at least one of the determined direction and distance to the one or more beacons.