irw works but ircat fails

[<fug...@gm...>]

Hello, I am having a peculiar problem. I have the following setup:

kernel: linux-2.6.27-gentoo-r3
lirc: lirc-0.8.4 configured for use with the streamzap kernel module.

I am using the IR reciever that cam with the streamzap remote.

$> dmesg | grep -i lirc
lirc_dev: IR Remote Control driver registered, major 61
lirc_streamzap[-1]: Streamzap, Inc. Streamzap Remote Control on usb2:3  
attached
lirc_dev: lirc_register_plugin: sample_rate: 0
usbcore: registered new interface driver lirc_streamzap
lirc_streamzap $Revision: 1.29 $ registered

I have played around with adding/removing the following lines in my  
modprobe.conf file (all with the same results):
$> grep -i lirc /etc/modprobe.conf
alias char-major-61 lirc_streamzap
alias lirc_dev lirc_streamzap

I am using a Harmony 550 remote configured using the KnoppMyth profile.  
Following is my lircd.conf file:
$> cat /etc/lircd.conf
# Please make this file available to others
# by sending it to <li...@ba...>
#
# this config file was automatically generated
# using lirc-0.8.3-CVS(default) on Mon Apr 21 22:25:08 2008
#
# contributed by Douglas Wagner
#
# brand: Logitech Harmony (KnoppMyth Profile)
# model no. of remote control: 550
# devices being controlled by this remote: MythTV
#

begin remote

name Harmony550KnoppMyth
bits 13
flags RC5|CONST_LENGTH
eps 30
aeps 100

one 895 885
zero 895 885
plead 910
gap 116038
min_repeat 2
toggle_bit_mask 0x800

begin codes
Blue 0x17A9
Green 0x17AE
Red 0x178B
Yellow 0x17B8
Go 0x17BB
OK 0x17A5
NumberInput 0x178E
JumpMusic 0x1799
JumpPictures 0x179A
JumpRadio 0x178C
JumpTV 0x179C
JumpVideos 0x1798
PwrToggle 0x17BD
Stop 0x17B6
Replay 0x17A4
Skip 0x179E
Play 0x17B5
Rec 0x17B7
Rew 0x17B2
Fwd 0x17B4
Pause 0x17B0
Guide 0x179B
Info 0x178A
Exit 0x179F
Menu 0x178D
VolumeUp 0x1790
VolumeDown 0x1791
ChannelUp 0x17A0
ChannelDown 0x17A1
ChannelPrev 0x1792
DirectionUp 0x1794
# UpArrow 0x1794 Same as DirectionUp
DirectionDown 0x1795
# DownArrow 0x1795 Same as DirectionDown
DirectionLeft 0x1796
DirectionRight 0x1797
Mute 0x178F
1 0x1781
2 0x1782
3 0x1783
4 0x1784
5 0x1785
6 0x1786
7 0x1787
8 0x1788
9 0x1789
0 0x1780
end codes

end remote
#======================================================

When I run irw and use the remote everything works fine and I get back the  
key presses that I would expect (rather I get three of them, but I  
understand this to be normal behavior).

my ~/.lircrc file looks like the following (I truncated it for testing, but  
the behavior is the same either way):
$> cat ~/.lircrc
begin
prog = mythtv
remote = Harmony550KnoppMyth
button = DirectionUp # up
repeat = 3
config = Up
end

begin
prog = mythtv
remote = Harmony550KnoppMyth
button = DirectionLeft # left
repeat = 3
config = Left
end

begin
prog = mythtv
remote = Harmony550KnoppMyth
button = OK # ok
repeat = 3
config = Space
end

begin
prog = mythtv
remote = Harmony550KnoppMyth
button = DirectionRight # right
repeat = 3
config = Right
end

begin
prog = mythtv
remote = Harmony550KnoppMyth
button = DirectionDown # down
repeat = 3
config = Down
end

#===========================================

When I run 'ircat mythtv' and try pressing the respective buttons, I get  
nothing. this holds true when I am in mythtv and have the full .lircrc file  
(with a symlink from ~/.lircrc to ~/.mythtv/lircrc)

I have been beating my head against a wall trying to identify why this is  
the case. I recompiled lirc with the debug use flag and load lircd  
with '--debug=5' following is an excerpt from my syslog file (edited for  
privacy):
Dec 30 20:36:30 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: registering local client
Dec 30 20:36:30 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: accepted new client on  
/dev/lircd
Dec 30 20:36:30 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: driver supports receiving
Dec 30 20:36:30 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: resolution of receiver: 256
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: c16777215
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: trying "Harmony550KnoppMyth"  
remote
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: <s16777215
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: sync
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 910
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +p896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +s896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +p1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: unget: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: <p1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +s1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +p896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +s896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +p896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +s896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +p896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +s896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +p1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: unget: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: <p1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +s1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +p1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: unget: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: <p1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +s896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: unget: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: <s896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +p896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +s1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +p1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: unget: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: <p1920
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: expecting space: 885
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +s1664
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 895
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: code: 17a5
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +p896
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: sum: 24960
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: +s95036
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: unget: 1
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: found: OK
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: writing to client 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending pulse: 0
Dec 30 20:36:34 localhost lircd-0.8.4[7802]: pending space: 0
...
(it repeats twice for the 3-results that irw shows)

Does anybody have any clues or ideas on what to try next?

Thanks!
--J. Evans