SUCCESS!!!! The meter stored a baseline at the set wavelengths the commands said. I can't thank you enough Dennis.
I got the serial functions from a very old loopback VI from 6.0 or 7.0, not too sure.
The 8 commands I am sending to the machine are an abbreviated version of the actual 12 commands I am trying to send. Ten out of the twelve commands are simple setting changes (absorbance to transmittance, minimum and maximum wavelength readings, min/max transmittance percentages) and the other two are scans (store baseline, and actual scan from 465nm ~ 655nm).
The only thing I tested in HyperTerminal was my COM1 properties to make sure I could make an actual connection to the meter.
I still need to adjust the waits and timing for each command, other than that I should be set.
Once again, thank you Dennis...and Lynn for your support.