Got to the Trailspace website and read Bill S's report on the SPOT. This is not one of those "I bought this thing last week and it's really neat" bs gear reviews you usually see. Bill is a scientist who has done some serious testing of the SPOT and his report is the most comprehensive I have seen so far. Pretty much anything you want to know about the SPOT is in Bill's test report.

www.trailspace.com

A PLB is a "personal locator beacon" not a "personal life beacon."

btw, if you are soloing and are nervous about it, why are you doing it? If you aren't confident enough to be out alone, get some more experience before you wind up making a bad judgment call and needing a beacon.

A PLB or SPOT is not a substitute for experience or skills. Anyone who thinks so is an idiot.