In Reach now has a plan that allows you to suspend your tracking during the inactive months. Currently I am paying $5.17 a month. Their staff is very technical and their billing plans are complicated but if you persist with the right representative you can find a plan that works for our sport. DeLorme was just acquired by Garmin which will probably mean their products will become more user friendly. The ability to text from anywhere anytime is a huge advantage when landing in remote areas. The down side is that the text format is a virtual keyboard where you have to tediously select each letter from packets of three much as in an old telephone keypad. I have wondered how good I would be at that chore if agitated or injured after an outlandish.