listening post

listening postnoun

• 1

  governmentmilitarypoliticsA position established for the purpose of detecting the enemy's movements by means of listening.

• 2

  A facility established to monitor radio and microwave signals and analyse their content to secure information and intelligence for use by the security and diplomatic community and others.

  • Shepard: Why are you out here in the first place? Lieutenant Durand: There's been a lot of pirate activity in this cluster. We set up a chain of listening posts in the local systems in case they have a staging base.
• 3

  Any location frequented by a journalist in search of stories or gossip.

  • He probably has "listening posts" which he visits regularly in search of stray items of news. These may be the general store, the barber shop, the ministers' homes, the Chamber of Commerce and the local or state police headquarters.
  • The British crown colony of Hong Kong is the West's primary listening post for information on Red China, which does not grant entry visas to many foreigners.