My uncle and I rented a satellite phone for a dall sheep hunt in Alaska last year. I got mixed feelings about the thing. It was complicated to use, and we had to read a thick instruction manual for about two hours before we even knew how to place a call. We had to hold the dang thing just right, enter all kinds of numbers, and do all kinds of technical mumbo jumbo. Then, when it finally did work, we were able to fly out early since we had already bagged a sheep and drive back to Soldotna to fish for the rest of our time in Alaska. That little call costed us something like $5 a minute, though. I will say, however, it was nice to be able to call from the middle of nowhere for a flight out.