Wireless terminals, e.g., mobile nodes, receive, identify, and measure broadcast signals from a plurality of cells. They determine relative transmission power relationships corresponding to the received measured signals and determine at least two channel gain ratios. A geographic area is determined corresponding to the obtained at least two channel gain ratios and information indicating the geographic region in which such gain ratios may be detected. Each cell's base station transmits broadcast signals, e.g., beacon signals, pilot signals, and/or assignment signals for one more carriers. Some base stations use multiple carriers at different power levels. Some adjacent cells use different power levels for the same carrier. This carrier diversity approach tends to reduce overall interference in the system, yet provides mobiles with a variety of different strength signals which may be monitored and which vary as a function of distance from the source transmitter.