the baud is 115.2kbps not 9600. Also, can you perhaps explain your code and how the pointers work? I am not a programmer but more a tinkerer and I know that they simplify how you can write the code but isnt the way the pointers work her similar to accessing an array/ writing to an array? The arduino reference page is useless when it comes to explaining pointers and my C book is confusing me. perhaps a literal approach to how this works will help me wrap my head around this one.