Starting _remote_ masternode using local dash.conf (masternodeaddr option and "masternode start" command) is deprecated now.
You should use masternode.conf and "masternode start-alias " command instead.
"masternode start" works for starting _local_ masternode only now which is NOT recommended on mainnet.
Thanks! I had tried both while mucking about fwiw, since moocowmoo's service is something of a hybrid. His old instructions used "masternode start" and the new 12.1 instructions specify start-alias. I don't think I've broken anything yet but I'll stop fooling with it. In any case, neither seemed to start the node, so I'm guessing moocowmoo will have to upgrade his servers (as well? afterward? beforehand?) as ddink8 suggests.
The local wallet still seems fine, so I'm optimistic that it will be a small thing to tweak.