A user equipment (UE) with multiple receive chains and one or more subscriber identity modules improves radio access technology (RAT) measurements when one or more of the subscriber identity modules are active and valid measurement gaps or consecutive idle time slots are unavailable for the radio access technology measurements. The UE communicates with a first receive (RX) chain for a first subscriber identity module (SIM). The UE also performs the radio access technology (RAT) measurement with a second receive (RX) chain while maintaining communications with the first receive chain.