A web-based control setup is making its way onto a Raspberry Pi—letting an Albrecht AE-5900 CB radio be operated entirely from its microphone, then exposed through a browser interface by emulating that microphone over a serial link.
A CB radio used to feel almost stubbornly basic—just a box, a channel selector, and a few knobs you could reach without thinking. But one hobbyist’s build is trying to move that old comfort into the modern web era.
The project centers on an Albrecht AE-5900 CB radio. built with a feature that matters here: it can be entirely controlled from its microphone. Instead of leaving that capability trapped inside the hardware. the system takes the microphone control pathway and turns it into something you can reach from a browser.
The key idea is simple in concept, complicated in execution. The communication between the radio and its microphone runs over a serial line. so the build uses an FT232 USB-to-serial interface to handle that connection. From there, the audio side is routed through a USB sound card, supported by small transformers used for isolation. A USB hub ties the pieces together, keeping the Raspberry Pi fed with the multiple connections the setup needs.
All of that hardware is mounted on perfboard inside a small enclosure. then plugged into a Raspberry Pi that acts as the server. On the Pi. a Python script runs and exposes a web front end that controls the rig—using clever microphone emulation rather than invasive changes to the radio itself. The maker specifically frames it as a minimal-interruption approach: the radio isn’t being redesigned. it’s being talked to through the same path the microphone already uses.
The result is a shift in what “control” can mean for a CB unit. Instead of standing at the radio and working the buttons, the build points toward browser-driven operation, with the microphone acting as the bridge between everyday RF gear and networked control.
It also comes with context from earlier work. The write-up compares the intrusiveness to a different project—an earlier CB to 6 meter conversion—describing this web-control approach as far less intrusive than that conversion.
CB radio web control Raspberry Pi microphone emulation FT232 USB-to-serial Python server USB sound card serial control
So basically you can click a browser and talk on CB like it’s a phone? That seems kinda cool but also like a recipe for people messing with channels.
Wait I thought CB radios already kinda web connected? Like with apps and stuff. If not then why is everyone acting like this is big news lol. Also is it safe? Serial sounds sketchy.
Using the microphone pathway to control it makes it sound harmless, but I’m not buying it. If it can emulate the mic then couldn’t someone emulate it worse and key up nonstop? I feel like CB is gonna turn into spam calling.
My brother has a Raspberry Pi and he’d totally do this, then complain it doesn’t work. Also FT232 and USB sound card… that’s like 5 steps too many. I swear the old CB was better when you just turn the knob and talk, not when you need Python running.