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DMP   DR-PX-5A
Parasitic signal detector · EMC

DMP, also known by the military designator DR-PX-5A, was a device for detecting and locating sources of electromagnetic interference (French: Détecteur de Parasites) in the 200-500 kHz frequency range aboard airplanes, de­ve­loped in 1951 by SARAM and manufactured by OMERA (France), for use by the French Air Force (STTA). In modern terminology it is an EMC detector.

The device is housed in a metal enclosure with black wrinkle paint finish, that measures 205 × 180 × 220 mm and weighs 4.2 kg. It is built around a SARAM 5-31 receiver that is located at the lower left, and powered by the 24V DC net­work aboard an airplane, or an external battery.

At the rear are connections for a rod antenna or a loop antenna, which are used for measuring the electric (E-field) and magnetic (H-field) com­po­nent of an electromagnetic signal respectively. The image on the right shows the device with the CG-7-A loop antenna fitted at the rear.
  

Apart from detecting and locating parasitic signals aboard airplanes, the DMP reciver could also be used for finding and locating clandestine transmitters (pirates) in the Medium Wave (AM) broad­cast band — especially in the vicinity of such a transmitter — for example in combination with a Automatic Direction Finder (also from an airplane) like the ADF-T-12-C (190-1750 kHz).

DMP was first introduced in 1951, 1 and was produced in small quantities. The device shown here was manufactured in 1955 and has a very low serial number (56). Based on the surviving serial numbers, it seems likely that less than 200 units were manufactured between 1951 and 1956.

  1. 106 copies of the manual were printed in November 1951 [A].
Receiver (without antenna)
Rear view
Bottom
DMP receiver (DR-PX-5A)
Rear view (with loop antenna installed)
Front view (with loop antenna installed)
CG-7-A loop antenna
Technical manual
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×
A
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Receiver (without antenna)
A
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Rear view
A
3 / 8
Bottom
A
4 / 8
DMP receiver (DR-PX-5A)
A
5 / 8
Rear view (with loop antenna installed)
A
6 / 8
Front view (with loop antenna installed)
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CG-7-A loop antenna
A
8 / 8
Technical manual

Features
The diagram below gives an overview of the controls and connections of the DMP receiver. All controls are located at the front panel. The 24V DC power supply should be applied to the fixed shielded cable that leaves the enclosure at the rear. At the right side are two sockets for con­nec­tion of a pair of 600Ω headphones. The strength of the detected signal is shown on the large ho­ri­zon­tal signal strength indicator at the top [A]. The bottom left quarter of the front panel holds an existing SARAM 5-31 receiver that is further described in a separate technical manual [B].


Applications
  • Detection and measurement of conducting interference onboard airplanes
  • Measuring the distance to a source of RF interference
  • Identifying and locating RF leaks
  • Measurement of parasitic emanations of onboard receivers
  • Locating clandestine transmitters in the AM broadcast band
Parts
DMP receiver DR-PC-5A
Loop antenna CG-7-A (H-field)
Rod antenna (E-field) with cable
Rod
Technical manual
Receiver   DR-PC-5A
The image on the right shows the bare DMP receiver without any antenna connected. It has an L-shaped body that allows a square loop antenna to be inserted at the rear.

Alternatively, a vertical rod antenna can be connected to the socket that normally holds the loop antenna.

  

Loop antenna   CG-7-A
A square loop antenna (CG-7-A) can be installed in the antenna socket at the rear of the L-shaped receiver body. When installed, it becomes an integral part of the receiver.

The loop antenna is used for detecting the magnetic part (H-field) of an electromagnetic signal in the 200-500 kHz range.
  

Rod antenna
The rod antenna consisted of three straight ele­ments that could be combined into one single rod, with the cable attached at one end. The an­ten­na is shown in the manual [A]. It was used for mea­su­ring the electric part (E-field) of an elec­tro­mag­netic signal in the 200-500kHz range.

The rod antenna is not available.

  

Technical manual
The DMP receiver was supplied with a full tech­ni­cal manual that includes operating in­struc­tions ans well as the full circuit diagrams [A].

An additional manual is provided for the bare 5-31 receiver that is located in the lower left quar­ter of the front panel and forms an integral part of the DMP.

 DMP technical manual
 5-31 receiver technical manual

  

SARAM
SARAM, the abbreviation of Société 'd Applications Radioélectrique à l'Aéronautique et à la Marine (Radio Applications Company for Aeronautics and Navy), was a research and development (R&D) company, founded in 1936 by mr. Merles [1]. The company specialised in the development of (radio) equipment for use aboard airplanes and ships.

Merles was born on 4 January 1905 in Ambert (Puy de Dôme, France) and studied at the Collège Godefroy de Bouillon in Clermont Ferrand and then as the Lycée Saint Louis in Paris, before gra­du­ating at the Ecole supérieure d'Electricité. He worked in the French Army as a telegraphy engineer (1930-1934) and then at the company Bronzavia (1934-1936).

In 1936 he founded SARAM – an R&D company – which used Bronzavia for manufacturing its products. When Bronzavia was no longer able to pay its bills in 1949, Merles decided to set up his own manufacturing company by the name of OMERA — short for Optics, Mechanics and Radio. From then on, OMERA manufactured the products that were developed by SARAM and by its sister company SEPHOT (Société d'etudes photographiques).

As Merles had no children to leave his companies to, the decided to sell 70% of OMERA to TRT in 1959, and the remaining 30% ten years later, in 1969. Another ten years later, in 1979, SARAM itself was sold to SINTRA (later: Alcatel), but merles remained its CEO until 1982. Merles was also a director of the Société d'électricité et de Piezoélectricité (SEPE) [1][2].


Specifications
  • Device
    EMC Detector
  • Purpose
    Detecting and locating parasitic RF emissions onboard airplanes
  • Model
    DMP
  • Designator
    DR-PX-5-A
  • Developer
    SARAM
  • Manufacturer
    OMERA
  • Country
    France
  • Years
    1951-1955
  • Frequency
    200-500 kHz
  • Dimensions
    205 × 180 × 220 mm (HWD)
  • Weight
    4200 g
  • Quantity
    < 200 (est.)
Loop antenna
  • Device
    Loop antenna (French: Cadre)
  • Purpose
    Detection of electromagnetic H-fields
  • Model
    17203
  • Designator
    CG-7-A
  • Developer
    SARAM
  • Manufacturer
    OMERA
Designators
 DesignatorFrenchEnglish
 DR-PX-5-ADétecteur de parasites DMP modifiéModified DMP Detector
 KO-95-ACoffre de transportTransit case
 CG-7-ACadre 17203Loop antenna (H-field)
 BO-3-ACanne de détection 17203Rod antenna (E-field)
 KD-557-ACordon monté (liaison récepteur canne)Rod antenna cable
 KD-558-ACordon monté (alimentation)Power cable
 EC-1-ACasque 600 ohms SocapexSocapex 600Ω headphones
Surviving serial numbers
 S/NYearModelLocation
 561955CG-7-ACrypto Museum
 621955DR-PX-5-ACrypto Museum
 1051955DR-PX-5AFrench auction [3]
 1051955CG-7-AFrench auction [3]
Documentation
  1. Notice Technique du Détecteur de Parasites, Type DR-PX-5-A (SARAM DMP)
    Technical description with full circuit diagrams (French).
    Service du matériel de l'armee de l'air, November 1951.

  2. Notice Technique due Récepteur type SARAM 5-31 et 5-31 B
    Technical description with full circuit diagrams (French).
    Service du matériel de l'armee de l'air, April 1950.
References
  1. Jean Pierre (F0FFB), S.A.R.A.M.
    ARACCMA (website).Visited 24 November 2025.

  2. F0FFB & DK5CB, History of manufacturer Saram, Omera, Bronzavia
    Radiomuseum (website). Visited 22 November 2025.

  3. User 'marco74', Radioamateur Mesureur Omera stta
    Leboncoin (auction website). Visited 22 November 2025.
Further information
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© Crypto Museum. Created: Saturday 22 November 2025. Last changed: Monday, 24 November 2025 - 11:08 CET.
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