Abstract: TDMA timing is maintained by the use of visibility information transmitted among the stations in a conference. Each station monitors the identity of stations from which bursts are received. A station also receives visibility information from other stations. The station combines the information to maintain a two-dimensional Visibility Designator Byte matrix or array. A station participates in the process by periodically transmitting its own VDB array to other stations. The stations then, independently, identify a prime station by using the collected and processed information. Using the same information, a station also identifies the manner in which it will lock to the timing of the prime station.