diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index eef57d9..a8c29c2 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -14,6 +14,12 @@ name = "test"
 path = "./src/test.rs"
 required-features = ["std", "cam"]
 
+[[bin]]
+## run with cargo run --target host-tuple --bin test-proto --no-default-features -F std,uart
+name = "test-proto"
+path = "./src/test-proto.rs"
+required-features = ["std", "uart", "cam"]
+
 [features]
 default = ["esp", "spat", "gnss", "screen"]
 
diff --git a/src/test-proto.rs b/src/test-proto.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ab1c3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test-proto.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+#![cfg(not(target_arch = "riscv32"))]
+#![allow(unused)]
+
+extern crate alloc;
+
+mod applogic;
+mod io;
+mod v2x_tx;
+
+fn main() {
+    use prost::Message as _;
+
+    // env_logger::init();
+
+    // generate some test UART messages as hex strings
+    let raw_its = input_from_raw(io::msg::RawMsgTx {
+        payload: [0xaa, 0xbb, 0xcc, 0xdd].to_vec(),
+        message_type: 1,
+        gn_transport: io::msg::GnTransport::Shb.into(),
+        gn_area: io::msg::GnArea {
+            area: None,
+            position: None,
+            dist_a: None,
+            dist_b: None,
+            angle: None,
+        },
+        hop_limit: 2,
+        station_type: None,
+    });
+    println!("{}", serialize_serial_msg_hex(&raw_its));
+
+    let pos = input_from_position(io::msg::PositionState {
+        timestamp_ms: 1785144196000,
+        position: io::msg::Position {
+            latitude_deg: 42.,
+            longitude_deg: 23.,
+        },
+        heading: None,
+        speed: None,
+    });
+    println!("{}", serialize_serial_msg_hex(&pos));
+}
+
+fn input_from_raw(value: io::msg::RawMsgTx) -> io::msg::SerialInputMsg {
+    use io::msg::serial_input_msg::Payload;
+
+    io::msg::SerialInputMsg {
+        payload: Some(Payload::TxMsg(value)),
+    }
+}
+fn input_from_position(value: io::msg::PositionState) -> io::msg::SerialInputMsg {
+    use io::msg::serial_input_msg::Payload;
+
+    io::msg::SerialInputMsg {
+        payload: Some(Payload::Position(value)),
+    }
+}
+
+pub(crate) fn serialize_serial_msg_hex(msg: &io::msg::SerialInputMsg) -> alloc::string::String {
+    use prost::Message as _;
+
+    let mut msg_buf = msg.encode_to_vec();
+
+    let sof = [0x56u8, 0x32, 0x58, 0x2B];
+    let eof = [0x0du8, 0x0a];
+    let len: [u8; 2] = (msg_buf.len() as u16).to_be_bytes();
+
+    let mut out = sof.to_vec();
+    out.extend_from_slice(&len);
+    out.append(&mut msg_buf);
+    out.extend_from_slice(&eof);
+
+    // convert to hex string
+    let mut hex_str = alloc::string::String::default();
+    for c in out {
+        hex_str.push_str(format!("{c:02x}").as_str());
+    }
+
+    hex_str
+}
+
+// /// Initializes the env-logger to be used inside tests
+// fn init_test_env_logger() {
+//     let _ = env_logger::builder()
+//         .format_timestamp(None)
+//         .filter_level(log::LevelFilter::Debug)
+//         .is_test(true)
+//         .try_init();
+// }