I got one of the original Spot One units on closeout for $50 with a $50 additional rebate, but still had to pay $100 for the first year of service. The unit worked ok most of the time except when in the mountain, coast, or on a twisty road or one with lots of foilage. Another words, about 30% of the time it actually tracked properly. I'm told the new Spot II works better than the Spot 1 I have does.
This year they increase my yearly subscription fee to $200 a year, and so I cancelled my subscription.
Its a good idea and I like being able to be tracked when I travel alone, but the unit was unreliable for me, and the subscription was just too costly. I think many new smart phones could work nearly as good and don't cost any additional money. That is probably the way I will go next time. For now, I'm back to being untrackable when I travel, just like I have been for the last 50 years. So far I haven't disappeared yet.