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true course The actual course of a vessel (its COG) as opposed to its direction of relative motion detected for that vessel on an observer's radar screen. This usage of true course is common in radar discussions, but it is unfortunate that it is not consistent with the more common use of the term, which implies a direction specified relative to true north. In this radar jargon, the "true course" of a vessel could be expressed in relative directions, true directions (commonly used on ships with gyro compasses), or in terms of magnetic directions, which are more often used in small-craft navigation. The choice depends on which units we use when we determine the vessel's true course by solving the relative motion diagram. Abbreviation:  TC

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