To clarify, I'm using this search function on both the forums and the main site, the "MacTech Only Search" field;
The main site when searching for "ipad battery life" gives 3 links, one of them with https, but when searching from the forums page using the same Search box and using "ipad battery life" I don't get any link to MacTech, I get 5 pages of links to arstechnica links. It seems the same Search box doesn't access the same database for forums and main site.
Then go here http://forums.applecentral.com/ and type "ipad battery life" into the "MacTech Only Search:" field, pic below. (Note that this Search box is slightly different from the main site box in the pic above, the word Only is added and there is no question mark.)
8 pages of mainly arstechnica links, no MacTech results, no http or https.
And actually pages 6 7 8 go to page 5, there really is no pages 6 7 or 8.