If you have a copy of the Microchip Embedded Control Handbook, check out the application note on page 3-121, "Software Implementation of Asynchronous Serial I/O (AN555)". This code is for a 16C84 using an interrupt driven routine for RS-232 communication. I've started typing in the code for a project of my own. If you like, I'll send it to you. There are two disclaimers however, 1) It probably will not be debugged. 2) I'll need to figure out how to get it from my computer to my internet host and then to you. By the way, this routine sends the receive of the RS-232 to the RA4/RTCC line of the PIC. Therefore if the RTCC is set up as a counter loaded with FF it will generate an overflow interrupt when the PIC receives a start pulse. The RTCC can be reconfigured as a timer after the start pulse is received and generates interrupts based on the baud rate.