Abstract: This invention teaches methods, and circuits that operate in accordance with the methods, for improving the management and control of pilot channel sets for a CDMA mobile station. In one aspect a Priority Neighbor Search technique is provided, wherein a list of Priority Neighbor pilot channels is maintained and searched with a higher priority than the Neighbor Set pilot channels. In a further aspect this invention provides a Dropped Pilot Channel Search technique wherein a set is made of the last pilot channel or pilot channels dropped from the Active Set, wherein the dropped pilot channels are searched for some period of time with a higher priority than the Neighbor Set pilot channels. This invention also provides a High Priority Search Set feature which includes members of the Active Set, the Candidate Set, the Dropped Pilot Set, and the Priority Neighbor Set.