ok so im going to answer my own question. i know how to code for the most part, and these are simple programs, so that wasnt the problem. however, i cant seem to find the file that shows me how serin and serout, as well as the other functions actually work, so they are still mysterious to me.

hardware is something that can never be thrown out as the source of the problem, but i checked that over and over again, and that was fine. the only thing i didnt do when hard wiring the pics together was to lay a common ground. once i did that poof, they were great. however the wireless link still did not function properly.

using an oscilloscope i looked at the incoming data on the RX pin. it was all there, just as it always had been. i switched boards and looked at the the outgoing data. the 'normal' state of the TX pin is high, opposite of the RX pin on the other end of the link. what could have caused this? i still havent figured out what the root of it was, but that was the problem. the solution: use inverted data with the serin and serout functions. this drives the TX pin low normally, sending the data accross the wireless link exactly as if there was a wire there.

if anyone wants to enlighten me as to the reason the TX pin is high normally that would be great. could have been an internal pullup because i am using portb.4, but i thought those were disabled on POR. could be the way serin "true" works, which is why i like to know how the functions work, not just what they can do.

Cameron