A multislot packet data transfer method (300) for a mobile station alters a transmission (370) of a radio block on a last transmission timeslot in a block period (320) immediately preceding an idle frame when the mobile station is in an allowed multislot configuration yet not able to perform normal Base Station Identification Code (BSIC) decoding. The method (300) also skips a last transmission burst in a frame immediately preceding an idle frame (330) in accordance with known extended search window techniques. The method contemplates various criteria (340) for determining when to alter the radio block, which include: whether an unacknowledged radio link control mode is used (350) and whether a robust coding scheme is used (360). The transmission can be altered (370) by completely skipping transmission of the radio block, by replacing the radio block on the last transmission timeslot with at least one dummy burst, by changing a transmission power level of that radio block, and/or by using a different coding scheme for that radio block.