The performance of a 1.6 Gbit/s optical receiver employing a s.a.w. filter as a timing tank is reported. The error-rate characteristics in a p.c.m. transmission system using a 1.3 μm In-GaAsP laser and single-mode fibres were studied. The average received optical power at a 10−9 error rate was −28 dBm. In a 15 km transmission experiment, the receiving level was degraded by 2 dB owing to fibre dispersion. Timing phase margin of 75 degrees after 12 km transmission was confined with the self-timed receiver.