diff --git a/collects/tests/racket/place-channel.rktl b/collects/tests/racket/place-channel.rktl
index ef03be323c..4db723f771 100644
--- a/collects/tests/racket/place-channel.rktl
+++ b/collects/tests/racket/place-channel.rktl
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ END
 
   (define-values (pc5 pc6) (place-channel))
   (place-channel-send pl pc5)
-  (test "Ready5" sync (handle-evt pc6 (lambda (p) (place-channel-recv p))))
+  (test "Ready5" sync pc6)
 
   (place-wait pl)
 )
diff --git a/src/racket/src/places.c b/src/racket/src/places.c
index 07deb8f6f0..2091ccc2dc 100644
--- a/src/racket/src/places.c
+++ b/src/racket/src/places.c
@@ -26,11 +26,12 @@ static Scheme_Object *scheme_place_channel(int argc, Scheme_Object *args[]);
 static Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *scheme_place_async_channel_create();
 static Scheme_Place_Bi_Channel *scheme_place_bi_channel_create();
 static Scheme_Place_Bi_Channel *scheme_place_bi_peer_channel_create(Scheme_Place_Bi_Channel *orig);
-static int scheme_place_channel_ready(Scheme_Object *so);
+static int scheme_place_channel_ready(Scheme_Object *so, Scheme_Schedule_Info *sinfo);
 
 
-static void scheme_place_async_send(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch, Scheme_Object *o, void *msg_memory);
-static Scheme_Object *scheme_place_async_recv(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch, void **msg_memory);
+
+static void scheme_place_async_send(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch, Scheme_Object *o);
+static Scheme_Object *scheme_place_async_recv(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch);
 
 static Scheme_Object *scheme_places_deep_copy_to_master(Scheme_Object *so);
 /* Scheme_Object *scheme_places_deep_copy(Scheme_Object *so); */
@@ -1186,7 +1187,6 @@ Scheme_Object *scheme_places_deserialize(Scheme_Object *so, void *msg_memory) {
 
 Scheme_Object *scheme_place_send(int argc, Scheme_Object *args[]) {
   if (argc == 2) {
-    Scheme_Object *mso;
     Scheme_Place_Bi_Channel *ch;
     if (SAME_TYPE(SCHEME_TYPE(args[0]), scheme_place_type)) {
       ch = (Scheme_Place_Bi_Channel *) ((Scheme_Place *) args[0])->channel;
@@ -1198,11 +1198,7 @@ Scheme_Object *scheme_place_send(int argc, Scheme_Object *args[]) {
       ch = NULL;
       scheme_wrong_type("place-channel-send", "place-channel", 0, argc, args);
     }
-    {
-      void *msg_memory = NULL;
-      mso = scheme_places_serialize(args[1], &msg_memory);
-      scheme_place_async_send((Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *) ch->sendch, mso, msg_memory);
-    }
+    scheme_place_async_send((Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *) ch->sendch, args[1]);
   }
   else {
     scheme_wrong_count_m("place-channel-send", 2, 2, argc, args, 0);
@@ -1212,7 +1208,6 @@ Scheme_Object *scheme_place_send(int argc, Scheme_Object *args[]) {
 
 Scheme_Object *scheme_place_recv(int argc, Scheme_Object *args[]) {
   if (argc == 1) {
-    Scheme_Object *mso;
     Scheme_Place_Bi_Channel *ch;
     if (SAME_TYPE(SCHEME_TYPE(args[0]), scheme_place_type)) {
       ch = (Scheme_Place_Bi_Channel *) ((Scheme_Place *) args[0])->channel;
@@ -1224,11 +1219,7 @@ Scheme_Object *scheme_place_recv(int argc, Scheme_Object *args[]) {
       ch = NULL;
       scheme_wrong_type("place-channel-recv", "place-channel", 0, argc, args);
     }
-    {
-      void *msg_memory = NULL;
-      mso = scheme_place_async_recv((Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *) ch->recvch, &msg_memory);
-      return scheme_places_deserialize(mso, msg_memory);
-    }
+    return scheme_place_async_recv((Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *) ch->recvch);
   }
   else {
     scheme_wrong_count_m("place-channel-recv", 1, 1, argc, args, 0);
@@ -1437,8 +1428,13 @@ static Scheme_Object *scheme_place_channel_p(int argc, Scheme_Object *args[])
   return SAME_TYPE(SCHEME_TYPE(args[0]), scheme_place_bi_channel_type) ? scheme_true : scheme_false;
 }
 
-static void scheme_place_async_send(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch, Scheme_Object *o, void *msg_memory) {
+static void scheme_place_async_send(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch, Scheme_Object *uo) {
+  void *msg_memory = NULL;
+  Scheme_Object *o;
   int cnt;
+
+  o = scheme_places_serialize(uo, &msg_memory);
+
   mzrt_mutex_lock(ch->lock);
   {
     cnt = ch->count;
@@ -1482,6 +1478,34 @@ static void scheme_place_async_send(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch, Scheme_Objec
   }
 }
 
+static Scheme_Object *scheme_place_async_try_recv(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch) {
+  Scheme_Object *msg = NULL;
+  void *msg_memory = NULL;
+
+  mzrt_mutex_lock(ch->lock);
+  {
+    void *signaldescr;
+    signaldescr = scheme_get_signal_handle();
+    ch->wakeup_signal = signaldescr;
+    if (ch->count > 0) { /* GET MSG */
+      msg = ch->msgs[ch->out];
+      msg_memory = ch->msg_memory[ch->out];
+
+      ch->msgs[ch->out] = NULL;
+      ch->msg_memory[ch->out] = NULL;
+
+      --ch->count;
+      ch->out = (++ch->out % ch->size);
+    }
+  }
+  mzrt_mutex_unlock(ch->lock);
+  
+  if (msg) {
+    return scheme_places_deserialize(msg, msg_memory);
+  }
+  return msg;
+}
+
 static int scheme_place_async_ch_ready(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch) {
   int ready = 0;
   mzrt_mutex_lock(ch->lock);
@@ -1495,35 +1519,28 @@ static int scheme_place_async_ch_ready(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch) {
   return ready;
 }
 
-static int scheme_place_channel_ready(Scheme_Object *so) {
+static int scheme_place_channel_ready(Scheme_Object *so, Scheme_Schedule_Info *sinfo) {
   Scheme_Place_Bi_Channel *ch;
+  Scheme_Object *msg = NULL;
   if (SAME_TYPE(SCHEME_TYPE(so), scheme_place_type)) {
     ch = (Scheme_Place_Bi_Channel *) ((Scheme_Place *) so)->channel;
   }
   else {
     ch = (Scheme_Place_Bi_Channel *)so;
   }
-
-  return scheme_place_async_ch_ready((Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *) ch->recvch);
+  
+  msg = scheme_place_async_try_recv((Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *) ch->recvch);
+  if (msg != NULL) {
+    scheme_set_sync_target(sinfo, msg, NULL, NULL, 0, 0, NULL);
+    return 1;
+  }
+  return 0;
 }
 
-static Scheme_Object *scheme_place_async_recv(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch, void **msg_memory) {
+static Scheme_Object *scheme_place_async_recv(Scheme_Place_Async_Channel *ch) {
   Scheme_Object *msg = NULL;
   while(1) {
-    mzrt_mutex_lock(ch->lock);
-    {
-      if (ch->count > 0) { /* GET MSG */
-        msg = ch->msgs[ch->out];
-        *msg_memory = ch->msg_memory[ch->out];
-
-        ch->msgs[ch->out] = NULL;
-        ch->msg_memory[ch->out] = NULL;
-
-        --ch->count;
-        ch->out = (++ch->out % ch->size);
-      }
-    }
-    mzrt_mutex_unlock(ch->lock);
+    msg = scheme_place_async_try_recv(ch);
     if(msg) break;
     else {
       void *signaldescr;