Methods and apparatus are provided for radio link maintenance at a mobile radio in a wireless communication network. The disclosed methods and apparatus help a mobile radio maintain a radio link by regularly monitoring frame synchronization, regularly checking a scrambling sequence of a mobile radio against that of infrastructure equipment, and regularly detecting and/or recovering from fade conditions. In the event the radio link can not be maintained, then the disclosed methods and apparatus will cause the mobile radio to switch to a control channel so that the synchronization, scrambling mismatch and/or fade issues may be corrected. In one implementation, the disclosed methods and apparatus can be implemented at mobile radios in an Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Project 25 (P25) compliant system.