I wired my AIS system such that it can be set to receive power when either engine is started. I have a (hidden and unlabeled) On/Off/Auto switch. Leaving it set to "auto" (as I do most of the season) would certainly work as a tracking device, sending a signal whenever the boat was running.
The AIS land-based receive stations don't have quite the coverage a cell phone based system would, but close.
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