You don't contact PPRuNe 'directly', have to traverse the information highway y'know. Given that the server is in California (I think ?) and we are scattered everywhere else, bottlenecks can occur at any junction (router). I get the same symptoms as Herr Draper - zipping right along and then clunk, nada ! Never had a timeout though, but I probably haven't waited along enough - just go to another (gasp !) board for a while.