Site Access & Email Update — August 24, 2026

[hikarateboy]

 

We've identified and resolved an issue where some members were being blocked from accessing the site entirely. Our automated security system (firewall) was being overly aggressive and accidentally blocking legitimate users who triggered too many false positives during normal browsing.

If you were unable to access the site and it suddenly works again — this is why. You've been unblocked. The security thresholds have been adjusted to prevent this from happening to regular members going forward.

If you're still unable to reach the site, please have someone pass along your IP address to an admin so we can check. You can find your IP at https://whatismyip.com.

Regarding email notifications: We've also resolved an issue with outgoing emails (password resets, notifications, etc.) not reaching Gmail and other providers. If you previously requested a password reset and never received it, please try again — it should work now.

If you're still not receiving forum emails, please check your spam/junk folder first, and let us know if the issue persists.

— Ted / HFC Admin

[hamerhead]

WOOHOO!! Thanks, Ted! 

I thought the site was down again, so I didn't think too much of it - at first. Today I finally broke and emailed Kiz (Thanks again, Mike!) and then Ted (after Mike said the site was up). I've been binge-eating ice cream for a week and a half. Damn I need help.

Thanks again Ted and Kiz. My life can get back to normal now (after I lose 20 pounds....).

 

[BTMN]

Previously there were a couple things on the site map of the main page such as links to wiring diagrams and serial number information. Those are no longer available. Is it possible to readd them? 

Thanks for the revamp!!!! 😎👍❤️🏁

 

 

Edited August 28 by BTMN

[Dave Scepter]

20 minutes ago, BTMN said:

Previously there were a couple things on the site map of the main page such as links to wiring diagrams and serial number information. Those are no longer available. Is it possible to readd them? 

Thanjs for the revamp!!!! 😎👍❤️🏁

 

 

Gorgeous! 😍 

[hikarateboy]

On 8/27/2026 at 10:41 AM, BTMN said:

Previously there were a couple things on the site map of the main page such as links to wiring diagrams and serial number information. Those are no longer available. Is it possible to readd them? 

Thanks for the revamp!!!! 😎👍❤️🏁

Yes.  Lots of fixes underway.  

Specifically, emails sending from the site. What a nightmare.  If you weren't getting them before you should now.  if you need a password reminder please request.   It should be working now.  whew!  that was a tough one.  

I will be looking at blocking issues for some users tomorrow. 

That said we will be moving to Xenforo board sooner than later as it should address some of these issues.  Admins have been testing and we will open up to all for a test before resyncing posts and switching over.  I would love to have that done by this time next week.

Thanks for your patience
More to come.

[BTMN]

As always, Ted and the HFC Internet gang knocking it out of park for a bunch of guitar slobs. 😎👍❤️🏁

[hikarateboy]

Hey everyone,

Some of you may have run into trouble reaching the site recently — pages not loading, getting timed out, or being unable to connect at all, sometimes for a day or more. We tracked down the cause and it's now fixed.

What happened: One of our security tools was being a little too aggressive. It was designed to block suspicious activity, but it misread some normal, everyday browsing as a problem and ended up temporarily blocking real visitors by mistake. If you were affected, it had nothing to do with anything you did wrong — you just got caught in an overly cautious filter.

What we did: We identified the exact setting causing the false alarms and corrected it, while keeping our real protections fully in place. The site's security against actual threats hasn't been reduced at all.

What you should do: Nothing, in most cases — access should already be back to normal. If you're reading this, you're through. If you know someone who was still having trouble connecting, ask them to try again now. If anyone is still blocked, have them reach out to me directly with a rough idea of their location or internet provider and I'll get it cleared right away.

Thanks for your patience, and sorry for the hassle.

[hikarateboy]

Hey everyone,

Quick update on the connection problems some of you have been hitting, especially the "I tried to post pictures and the site timed out / booted me" issue on the forum. I know this has been frustrating, and a few of you have gone out of your way to let me know exactly what you were doing when it happened. That detail is genuinely what let me track it down, so thank you.

What was going on: one of our security tools was misreading normal activity as suspicious. Posting a batch of images to a thread, in particular, was tripping it — the more pictures you added, the more likely it was to lock you out for a while. It was never anything you did wrong, and your accounts were never at risk. It was an overcautious filter, plain and simple.

What I did: I found the exact setting causing it and corrected it, so posting pictures to threads should work normally again. Our real protection against actual threats is still fully in place,  I only turned off the part that was falsely flagging regular members.

What you should do: just carry on as normal. If you were locked out, you should be back in. Go ahead and post those pics. If anyone still runs into a timeout or gets blocked — especially when uploading images, please let me know, and include what you were doing and roughly when. If it helps, the site or your internet provider may show you an IP address; that's handy for me to pinpoint it, but no worries if you can't grab it.

Thanks for your patience while I chased this one down. It took a few rounds to fully corner it, but I think we're in good shape now.

Cheers, Ted

[hamerhead]

Thanks, Ted!

I'll try to post to the thread that kicked me out twice and see what happens. Wish me luck......

 

ETA: It worked. WooHoo! All you jerks are stuck with me now!! 

...I mean....except Ted. You're not a jerk, little buddy....

Edited September 2 by hamerhead