  We have observed the black hole candidate X-ray binary GX 339-4 at radio
wavelengths before, during and after the 1998 high/soft X-ray state transition.
We find that the radio emission from the system is strongly correlated with the
hard X-ray emission and is reduced by a factor > 25 during the high/soft state
compared to the more usual low/hard state. At the points of state transition we
note brief periods of unusually optically-thin radio emission which may
correspond to discrete ejection events. We propose that in the low/hard state
black hole X-ray binaries produce a quasi-continuous outflow, in the high/soft
state this outflow is suppressed, and that state transitions often result in
one or more discrete ejection events. Future models for low/hard states, such
as ADAF/ADIOS solutions, need to take into account strong outflow of
relativistic electrons from the system. We propose that the inferred
Comptonising corona and the base of the jet-like outflow are the same thing,
based upon the strong correlation between radio and hard X-ray emission in GX
339-4 and other X-ray binaries, and the similarity in inferred location and
composition of these two components.
