Hi, Fredrick -

You would only need a modem if one is installed on both ends of the 
connection - one to modulate, the other to demodulate - hence the name 
'mo-dem'.  I doubt that this applies in your case.

If binary data is in fact being sent from the remote device,  make sure the 
InputMode property of the MSComm control is set to comInputModeBinary ( = 1 
) rather than the default comInputModeText ( = 0 ).

Check your remote device documentation.  Maybe the data format can be 
switched from that side.
Also check your cable pinouts and handshaking methods to make sure they are 
consistent on both sides.

Good luck -
Montie Davis