No usb-serial. For experimental purposes, I am going out from a preconfigured "ultimate oem" module, which already has the power, serial, reset, and clock set up. I connect it directly to the Betabrites serial port, passing through a null modem and a m-m adapter.

I want to try out your hyperterm suggestion, but there are 2 problems. First it has been so long since I did anything in a terminal emulator, I am not sure I won't mess that up. For example see the following code in Zeus for PC's (I know, I keep introducing other languages, I apologize, but there is so little code on the net for the BetaBrite)
func main()
Const Ch1 1 'Zues Com Channel 1

'Open the ComPort
ComOpen(Ch1,baud=9600,port=1,parity=2,bits=7,stop= 2)

'Tell the Sign we are ready to comunicate
ComOutput Ch1,chr(0)+chr(0)+chr(0)+chr(0)+chr(0)
ComOutput Ch1,chr(1)
ComOutput Ch1,"Z00"

'Send Priority Text Message
ComOutput Ch1,chr(2)+"A0"
ComOutput Ch1,"Nuts and Volts"
ComOutput Ch1,chr(4)

ComClose Ch1

endfunc

How do I send the ASCII chr(0)'s (5th line) as oposed to the Digits, such as the "Z00"(7th line) in Hyperterm? I know it is a real green question, but I don't recall ever having the need.
My second problem is that I am using a usb-serial adapter for communicating with the pc. However I have not run into the same problem you have with this, as I am able to communicate to the Betabrite from a pc with various programs I have found on the Web.

Thanks again for sticking with the post.