1. Cell signal booster. This works better for car travel, since it requires antenna installation, etc. However, lacking electronics knowledge, I am unable to translate manufacturer specs into something I understand. The gain is measured in decibels. Is a gain of 40 db enough to cover me on most road travel? Does anyone know this?
Decibels are a logarithmic scale. In the radio world, 40db gain is huge. Keep in mind that power increase does not scale in a linear fashion with range where terrain is a factor.
The rule is that one dollar of antenna is worth ten dollars worth of amplifier. There are cell signal boosters that have a little antenna on the inside of a car, with a larger antenna on the outside. These tend to work well if they're designed for the cellular technology that your phone uses (CDMA, GSM, etc).
2. Tracfone (Blast's recommendation) seems cheaper than other prepaid phones. If you buy 400 minutes for $100, you don't need to pay any more fees to keep the phone active for a year.
What's the cost difference between a Tracfone and a PLB?