$_GET is Mangling Base64 value

Hi all. Is there an issue with $_GET not handling a Base64-encoded value correctly? (PHP is 5.1.6) Am receiving a Base64-encoded value: theurl.com/index.php?message=xxxxx  and retrieving it with $_GET: echo $_GET["message"]; xxxxx is a Japanese phrase, that has been encoded into Base64. So is using the + symbol: ..OODq+OCou... but my $_GET is replacing the + with a space: ..OODq OCou... thus the base64_decode() is failing (displays diamonds with questions marks on my Mac). The Base64-encoded string is 156 characters long, if that has any bearing. My test URL is 230 characters in total, less than the "old" 256 limit. All I can find online is a reference that PHP will no longer assume that a space is a +: <http://ca3.php.net/manual/en/function.base64-decode.php#69298> but my problem is the opposite - the + symbols are there, but the GET is removing them. (And to add a wrinkle, this then goes into a Joomla! page, whose getVar() command completely removes the +, so I couldn't even do a string replace, as I don't know where the + should have been!) Tired of looking at the dark red spot on the wall! Thanks. George Langley    Multimedia Developer    Audio/Video Editor    Musician, Arranger, Composer www.georgelangley.ca