Abstract: A digital timing system and method is disclosed for improving the bit-error-rate performance of digital communications systems, such as satellite communications links which experience deep fades caused by ionospheric scintillation with resultant loss of synchronization for multibit time durations. The present invention prevents timing loss and bit-shift under such ionospheric conditions, and is also applicable to land lines, computer communications links and any other communication channels vulnerable to timing loss and resultant data bit-shift caused by noise, extraneous transitions or transmission line anamolies.A novel bit-timing circuit is described which analyzes incoming phase-shifted digital data transitions to select a "best-fit" clock from a plurality of discrete clocks of like frequency but displaced in phase for clocking the data. The discrete clocks are derived directly from a highly stable crystal oscillator source.