What is a good Verizon cell phone to get in bad service areas?

The cell phone service in the area that I live in is spotty, but I've had phones that worked here previously. I was wondering if anyone knows any phones that work well in areas that have bad cell service.

I was a tech for a cell phone company for a period of time in my life. All Verizon Wireless digital phones operate on 2/10ths of a watt of power. Different people swear by different phones for this or that, but essentially they all operate on the same power. The old analog bag phones that could pick up almost anywhere were I believe 2 or 3 full watts of power if my memory serves me correctly (thus the reason they were in a bag, ie not a great idea to hold up to your head at that wattage level :P). The only thing I could say (in my opinion, which again, isn't any more or less important than those who swear by this phone or that phone, and EVERY CUSTOMER had their own opinion on why their phone "was the best" :P), but the only thing I could say is that phones with pull out antennas seem to get a little better reception than phones with internal antennas (the phones where you don't see an antenna at all). But even then I don't know how much difference that would really make. If you are in a bad service area, you're in a bad service area, there is no magic fix for that. Again, just my opinion. Your best bet is to check all of the maps of all of the service providers in your area to see who "claims" the best service. Most carriers rent space off of one anothers towers. The carrier who owns the tower usually has their 6 foot long panels at the top, ie.. their signal will go farther than those on the rungs below them on the tower. Pick the carrier who shows the best coverage for your area on their map (don't call customer service and ask about towers and panels, they will have no idea what you are talking about, and tech support in the call centers are no different than customer care regarding the physical towers). Anyway, hope that some of this rant was useful to your dilemma. Have a great day, and good luck..