well thats the problem.. it appears that the device cant just take a string whenever.. u have to initiate sessions, calculate checksums etc etc... the device is a videotek rs-12a. I thought u had to use the serial control device in catalyst to do this btw???
it looks like their may be a dumbed down version of the protocol that will work on this device... I hope so! I'll keep u posted just in case it comes in handy for someone in the future.