A method and system for reducing the overall noise floor in a wireless communication system, subsystem or network are disclosed, which reduces the output gain levels of specific uplink antenna transmitters during non-signal time periods (e.g., rest mode) when no communication signals are being conveyed between the mobile unit(s) and base station involved. The output gain level of each such uplink antenna's transmitter is decreased by a predetermined amount, which reduces the noise contribution of that uplink antenna, but also maintains the gain at a high enough level so that a signal can still pass from a mobile unit to the base station via that link, for example, during a call initiation attempt.