diff --git a/DECSTR.COB b/DECSTR.COB
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8aaaf69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/DECSTR.COB
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
+       PROGRAM-ID. "DECODE-STRING".
+
+       DATA DIVISION.
+       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
+       01 STATE.
+           03 LOOP-STATE PIC 99.
+               88 DONE VALUE 99.
+           03 STRING-POINTER PIC 999 USAGE COMPUTATIONAL.
+           03 TABLE-INDEX USAGE INDEX.
+
+       01 ASCII-CHARACTER.
+           03 CHAR-CODE PIC 999.
+           03 COBOL-STRING PIC X(6).
+
+       LINKAGE SECTION.
+       01 ASCII-STRING.
+           03 MSG-BODY PIC X(999).
+           03 ASCII-TABLE PIC 999 OCCURS 999 TIMES.
+
+       PROCEDURE DIVISION USING ASCII-STRING.
+           MOVE 0 TO LOOP-STATE.
+           MOVE 1 TO STRING-POINTER.
+           PERFORM DECODE-CHARACTER VARYING TABLE-INDEX
+                                    FROM 1, BY 1,
+                                    UNTIL DONE.
+           EXIT PROGRAM.
+
+       DECODE-CHARACTER.
+           MOVE ASCII-TABLE(TABLE-INDEX) TO CHAR-CODE
+           IF STRING-POINTER IS GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 999 THEN
+               MOVE 99 TO LOOP-STATE
+           ELSE
+               STRING COBOL-STRING DELIMITED BY SPACES
+                      INTO MSG-BODY
+                      WITH POINTER STRING-POINTER.
+               
+               
diff --git a/ENCSTR.COB b/ENCSTR.COB
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..06b5507
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ENCSTR.COB
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
+       PROGRAM-ID. "ENCODE-STRING".
+
+       DATA DIVISION.
+       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
+       01 STATE.
+           03 LOOP-STATE PIC 99.
+               88 DONE VALUE 99.
+           03 STRING-POINTER PIC 999 USAGE COMPUTATIONAL.
+           03 TABLE-INDEX USAGE INDEX.
+
+       01 ASCII-CHARACTER.
+           03 CHAR-CODE PIC 999.
+           03 COBOL-STRING PIC X(6).
+           03 CURRENT-CHARACTER REDEFINES COBOL-STRING PIC X.
+               88 ESCAPE-CHAR VALUE "$".
+
+       LINKAGE SECTION.
+       01 ASCII-STRING.
+           03 MSG-BODY PIC X(999).
+           03 ASCII-TABLE PIC 999 OCCURS 999 TIMES.
+
+       PROCEDURE DIVISION USING ASCII-STRING.
+           MOVE 0 TO LOOP-STATE, STRING-POINTER.
+           PERFORM ENCODE-CHARACTER
+                   VARYING TABLE-INDEX FROM 1, BY 1
+                   UNTIL DONE.
+           EXIT PROGRAM.
+
+       ENCODE-CHARACTER.
+           MOVE SPACES TO COBOL-STRING.
+           UNSTRING MSG-BODY
+                    INTO CURRENT-CHARACTER
+                    WITH POINTER STRING-POINTER.
+           IF ESCAPE-CHAR THEN
+               MOVE SPACES TO COBOL-STRING
+               IF STRING-POINTER < 993 THEN
+                   UNSTRING MSG-BODY DELIMITED BY "$"
+                            INTO COBOL-STRING
+                            WITH POINTER STRING-POINTER
+                   IF COBOL-STRING IS EQUAL TO SPACES THEN
+                       MOVE "$" TO COBOL-STRING
+                   ELSE
+                       NEXT SENTENCE
+               ELSE
+                   MOVE "NUL" TO COBOL-STRING.
+           IF COBOL-STRING IS EQUAL TO "NUL" THEN
+               MOVE 99 TO LOOP-STATE.
+           IF TABLE-INDEX IS GREATER THAN 998 THEN
+               MOVE 99 TO LOOP-STATE.
+           CALL "ENCODE-ASCII" USING ASCII-STRING.
+           MOVE CHAR-CODE TO ASCII-TABLE(TABLE-INDEX).
diff --git a/WOPO.COB b/WOPO.COB
index 2e48095..0147bf5 100644
--- a/WOPO.COB
+++ b/WOPO.COB
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
        01 STATE PIC 9(2).
            88 SUCCESS VALUE 0.
            88 DONE VALUE 99.
-       01 BUFFER.
+       01 ASCII-MSG.
            03 MSG-BODY PIC X(999).
            03 ASCII-TABLE PIC 999 OCCURS 999 TIMES.
        01 WOPO.
@@ -55,9 +55,9 @@
 
        01 PARAMS.
            03 WORK PIC X(480).
-           03 WORK-PTR PIC 999 USAGE COMPUTATION.
            03 WORK-PREFIX REDEFINES WORK PIC X.
                88 IS-COMMAND VALUE "$".
+           03 WORK-PTR PIC 999 USAGE COMPUTATIONAL.
            03 PARAM PIC X(480) OCCURS 5 TIMES.
            03 REG PIC X(480) OCCURS 5 TIMES.
 
@@ -85,7 +85,8 @@
                CONFIG-VALUE, DELIMITED BY SPACE,
                "$NUL$"
                INTO MSG-BODY,
-           CALL "CHANNEL-OPEN" USING MSG-BODY, STATE.
+           CALL "ENCODE-STRING" USING ASCII-MSG.
+           CALL "CHANNEL-OPEN" USING ASCII-MSG, STATE.
            IF NOT SUCCESS THEN DISPLAY MSG-BODY
                                GO TO DIE.
            MOVE "PASS" TO CONFIG-KEY.
@@ -151,12 +152,14 @@
                            GO TO DIE.           
 
        SEND-LINE.
-           CALL "CHANNEL-SEND" USING MSG-BODY, STATE.
+           CALL "ENCODE-STRING" USING ASCII-MSG
+           CALL "CHANNEL-SEND" USING ASCII-MSG, STATE.
            IF NOT SUCCESS THEN DISPLAY MSG-BODY
                                GO TO DIE.
 
        RECEIVE-LINE.
-           CALL "CHANNEL-RECV" USING MSG-BODY, STATE.
+           CALL "CHANNEL-RECV" USING ASCII-MSG, STATE.
+           CALL "DECODE-STRING" USING ASCII-MSG
            IF NOT SUCCESS THEN GO TO DIE.
            CALL "IRC-MSG" USING MSG-BODY, IRC-MESSAGE.
 
@@ -482,7 +485,7 @@
                UNSTRING REST DELIMITED BY SPACE
                              INTO PARAM(1),
                              WITH POINTER WORK-PTR
-               UNSTRING REST DELIMITED BY SIZE
+               UNSTRING REST
                         INTO REG(1)
                         WITH POINTER WORK-PTR
       *        PRESERVE VARIABLES FOR REPLY.