Just Ice,
1. what is the actual command line you use that fails?
-- When I run my script program, I just type the program name like 'myprogram'. Within 'myprogram' there will be one line to provide argument to a script program to write a ftp file. Here is the line within 'myprogram':
/usr/bin/ftpmtc $usr $pswd $jobno

The 'ftpmtc' is a shell script program who write ftp command on the fly to a tmp file called $inst_file. Below is almost the whole program:
===============================================
Within 'ftpmtc':
#ARGUMENT: USER,PASWD,JOBNO,VER,LOG_DATE,$$
$UCB/echo "user $1 $2" > $inst_file
$UCB/echo "cd prod" >> $inst_file
$UCB/echo "ascii" >>$inst_file
$UCB/echo "cr" >> $inst_file
$UCB/echo "" >> $inst_file

$UCB/echo "lcd /tmp/prodhrs " >> $inst_file
$UCB/echo "put $3.prodhours $3prodhours " >> $inst_file

$UCB/echo "bye" >> $inst_file

$UCB/ftp -n mtc < $inst_file
================================
2. what is the PATH set for the script?
--the PATH for 'myprogram' is in /usr/bin and it's the same as ftpmtc file.

3. what are the first 3 lines of the script?
--A.
the first 3 lines of 'myprogram' is
#!/bin/sh
# Version "prodhrs --3 03/31/2005"
/usr/ucb/clear
--B.
the first 3 lines of 'ftpmtc' is:
#!/bin/sh
inst_file="$TEMP_PATH/ftp_inst.$$"
#ARGUMENT: USER,PASWD,JOBNO,VER,LOG_DATE,$$
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I noticed that if I run 'myprogram' in the directory other than where it's located, it will not ftp files.

Thanks for your help!!