Now I haven't heard it to be sure, but the current crop of receiver chips is supposed to have greatly reduced platform motion. I've heard platform motion, it's a pretty funky effect, where with even slight fading or beats from other carriers can cause the stereo image to pan back and forth between channels on a stereo AM signal, like a psychedelic tremolo effect. I've heard it on a truck radio in the 1990s listening to a distant AM stereo station, and here while listening to 620 WKHB that runs a stereo pilot.
It would seem to be logical to use independent sidebands for left and right audio, I have to wonder why Motorola was judged to be superior? Is it easier to detect? I remember Kahn fighting fiercely in the radio press for his AM stereo system, some calling it, 'The Wrath Of Kahn' at the time in headlines.
He kept on trying to bring up technical objections to Motorola's system, filing complaints against it for violating the NRSC's 'RF mask' standards (excessive bandwidth) and other things. With AM stereo already floundering, and Motorola dominant, I did think Kahn was being a jerk for just going off in his attacks.
I thought that Motorola should do a deal that was unheard of in the industry, but a vote of confidence, that is sell encoders to stations with an offer to buy them back for some amount of money, should C-QUAM not become the accepted standard in the end. Maybe they could even undercut the competition on price for the equipment or licensing, no big deal for a company like Motorola it would seem.
Boomer