A system and method for preventing a call from being dropped changes from a first set of serving base station(s) for the call to a second set of serving base station(s) which can be determined independently by both the wireless unit and the wireless communications system. As such, the wireless unit can attempt to recover the call using the second set of serving base station(s) even without the availability of a communication link between the wireless unit and the current set of serving base station(s). The wireless communications system can independently determine a second set of serving base station(s) for the call using information known at both the wireless communication system and at the wireless unit before the communication link was severed. For example, the wireless unit and the communications system can determine the second set of serving base station(s) using the candidate list identified with a previous pilot strength measurement message (PSMM) known to have been successfully reported to the wireless communications system. After the wireless communications system and the wireless unit determine that a call is in danger of being dropped, the wireless unit and the wireless communications system can automatically add base station(s) in the candidate set to the active set in attempting to recover the call.