Quote Originally Posted by kenpo View Post

any and all help WITHOUT hitting me is great
Boy, that's an incentive killer, where is the fun if we can't slap you around a little . . ?
Seriously, does your PIC do anything? Have you set the config fuses properly, as I do not see anything in your code to do that I'm guessing you are setting them manually when you program? How old is your proto board, have you used a VOM to check every connection? And as mister_e suggests, use a crystal or a resonator, much mo bedda for serial communications. Lastly remember to put END at the program's end, just for hoots.