o.k., below are all of the outputs that may help you to see what is going on?  except for ls /dev/rfcomm0, i do not understand meaning of outputs.  and by the way, thanks for hanging in with me to try and hit on a solution.  there does not appear to be any interest in this topic by others.

mark

rocky@rocky-desktop:~$ sudo ps ax | grep rfcomm
[sudo] password for rocky: 
   49 ?        S<     0:00 [krfcommd]
 4507 pts/0    S+     0:00 grep rfcomm

rocky@rocky-desktop:~$ sudo ls -l /dev/rfcomm0
crwxrwxrwx 1 root root 216, 0 2010-01-03 11:47 /dev/rfcomm0
rocky@rocky-desktop:~$ 

rocky@rocky-desktop:~$ sudo strace cat /dev/rfcomm0
execve("/bin/cat", ["cat", "/dev/rfcomm0"], [/* 16 vars */]) = 0
brk(0)                                  = 0x9285000
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK)      = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
mmap2(NULL, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb80ba000
access("/etc/ld.so.preload", R_OK)      = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/etc/ld.so.cache", O_RDONLY)      = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=50808, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 50808, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb80ad000
close(3)                                = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK)      = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6", O_RDONLY) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0\320h\1\0004\0\0\0\344"..., 512) = 512
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0755, st_size=1442180, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 1451632, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) = 0xb7f4a000
mprotect(0xb80a6000, 4096, PROT_NONE)   = 0
mmap2(0xb80a7000, 12288, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x15c) = 0xb80a7000
mmap2(0xb80aa000, 9840, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb80aa000
close(3)                                = 0
mmap2(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb7f49000
set_thread_area({entry_number:-1 -> 6, base_addr:0xb7f498d0, limit:1048575, seg_32bit:1, contents:0, read_exec_only:0, limit_in_pages:1, seg_not_present:0, useable:1}) = 0
open("/dev/urandom", O_RDONLY)          = 3
read(3, "\224\357\202\344"..., 4)       = 4
close(3)                                = 0
mprotect(0xb80a7000, 8192, PROT_READ)   = 0
mprotect(0x804f000, 4096, PROT_READ)    = 0
mprotect(0xb80d9000, 4096, PROT_READ)   = 0
munmap(0xb80ad000, 50808)               = 0
brk(0)                                  = 0x9285000
brk(0x92a6000)                          = 0x92a6000
open("/usr/lib/locale/locale-archive", O_RDONLY|O_LARGEFILE) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/share/locale/locale.alias", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=2570, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb80b9000
read(3, "# Locale name alias data base.\n# "..., 4096) = 2570
read(3, ""..., 4096)                    = 0
close(3)                                = 0
munmap(0xb80b9000, 4096)                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_IDENTIFICATION", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_IDENTIFICATION", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=373, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 373, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb80b9000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/gconv/gconv-modules.cache", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=26048, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 26048, PROT_READ, MAP_SHARED, 3, 0) = 0xb80b2000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_MEASUREMENT", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_MEASUREMENT", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=23, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 23, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb80b1000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_TELEPHONE", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_TELEPHONE", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=59, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 59, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb80b0000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_ADDRESS", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_ADDRESS", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=155, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 155, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb80af000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_NAME", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_NAME", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=77, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 77, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb80ae000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_PAPER", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_PAPER", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=34, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 34, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb80ad000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_MESSAGES", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_MESSAGES", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_size=4096, ...}) = 0
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_MESSAGES/SYS_LC_MESSAGES", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=52, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 52, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb7f48000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_MONETARY", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_MONETARY", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=286, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 286, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb7f47000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_COLLATE", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_COLLATE", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=962094, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 962094, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb7e5c000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_TIME", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_TIME", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=2454, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 2454, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb7e5b000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_NUMERIC", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_NUMERIC", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=54, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 54, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb7e5a000
close(3)                                = 0
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.UTF-8/LC_CTYPE", O_RDONLY) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/usr/lib/locale/en_US.utf8/LC_CTYPE", O_RDONLY) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=256316, ...}) = 0
mmap2(NULL, 256316, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb7e1b000
close(3)                                = 0
fstat64(1, {st_mode=S_IFCHR|0620, st_rdev=makedev(136, 0), ...}) = 0
open("/dev/rfcomm0", O_RDONLY|O_LARGEFILE) = 3
fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFCHR|0777, st_rdev=makedev(216, 0), ...}) = 0
read(3,