Any experiences using satellite phones please? (Iridium vs Gstar)

Due to a member of the family having a long term (but not normally
life threatening) illness I would feel more at ease if I'm able to be
contacted regardless of where I may travel. Normal cell phones will
not cover some of my locations reliably so I'm thinking of getting a
sat phone for emergency contact/status. Has anyone in here had
personal experience with either Iridium or Gstar? (the more recent the
better)
From the various canned statements I've found on the net it sounds
like the Iridium has more coverage, but that the Gstar has "slightly"
better voice quality. Of course the Iridium is more expensive as an
initial investment, but I have found some sites that tout *free*
incoming calls (meaning the Iridium owner doesn't pay, but that the
caller does, which is ok for me) so that depending on use the Iridium
may actually come out cheaper than Gstar.
My follow-up on this topic is in regards to the offers on line for
calling plans and such.....and "gotcha" fine print that one has to be
on the lookout for that any of you might have gotten burned on?

I really appreciate anyones time and information on this!