A wireless communications system base station (101), upon receiving (202) from a mobile station (102) a wireless transmission that comprises a suggested transmitter-receiver configuration, can respond (in appropriate instances) by automatically transmitting (203) to the mobile station a wireless transmission comprising an indication to use instead a default transmitter-receiver configuration. By one approach, the latter action can be based, at least in part, upon a determination regarding reliability (301) of that suggested transmitter-receiver configuration (which might comprise, for example, a direct or indirect measure of quality of the channel by the default transmitter-receiver configuration was received) to provide a corresponding reliability assessment. The latter can then be used (302) to determine whether to use this suggested transmitter-receiver configuration for a subsequent communication with the mobile station.