LBussy-
That def clears it up and thanks for breaking that down...appreciate it! Now I understand the entire wing nut "should" come off the top of the coupler and contain the barb still screwed inside.
My only question is if I unscrew the wing nut from the top of the coupler that will be a "female" end in which I would screw a "male" brass fitting as the one that eba3317 suggested correct?
http://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=348813&stc=1&d=1459786231
or possibly the one I found yesterday at HD:
http://s431.photobucket.com/user/michael-dd/media/20160404_125852_zps6e9gs7ha.jpg.html
Thanks again!
Yes the wing nut is the female side. It should work with the setup I posted as the thread type should be the same