I bought one to alleviate my mom's concerns about hunting alone(heads up it only alleviated them for a day.....). I got the one without the GPS maps function as I have a gps unit already. It works... texting wise it can connect to your phone via bluetooth to make texting easier otherwise you are stuck hitting one letter at a time with the delormes cursor. Signal wise it doesn't put out the strongest one like an acr PLB but the trade off is that you can text/email people. While you might lose signal especially in thick tree cover it'll eventually reconnect. Subscription plan can be based off a one year subscription or a more expensive month to month plan. I went with the most basic month to month since I don't need it year-round, I think it is around 14.99 but don't quote me on that. Charges via USB cord and power adapter. Overall its done its job as advertised, but it is a limited product so don't expect it to be exceptionally functional.
