diff --git a/dump1090.c b/dump1090.c
index 65f352f..1a509dd 100644
--- a/dump1090.c
+++ b/dump1090.c
@@ -761,7 +761,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
             nanosleep(&slp, NULL);
         }
     } else {
-        int watchdogCounter = 10; // about 1 second
+        int watchdogCounter = 300; // about 30 seconds
 
         // Create the thread that will read the data from the device.
         pthread_create(&Modes.reader_thread, NULL, readerThreadEntryPoint, NULL);
@@ -789,12 +789,12 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
                 fifo_release(buf);
 
                 // We got something so reset the watchdog
-                watchdogCounter = 10;
+                watchdogCounter = 300;
             } else {
                 // Nothing to process this time around.
                 if (--watchdogCounter <= 0) {
-                    log_with_timestamp("No data received from the SDR for a long time, it may have wedged");
-                    watchdogCounter = 600;
+                    log_with_timestamp("No samples received from the SDR for a long time. Maybe the hardware is wedged? Giving up.");
+                    Modes.exit = 2; // abnormal exit
                 }
             }
 
@@ -804,8 +804,14 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
         }
 
         log_with_timestamp("Waiting for receive thread termination");
+        sdrStop();   // tell reader thread to wake up and exit
         fifo_halt(); // Reader thread should do this anyway, but just in case..
-        pthread_join(Modes.reader_thread,NULL);     // Wait on reader thread exit
+
+        // Wait on reader thread exit
+        if (join_thread(Modes.reader_thread, NULL, 30000) == ETIMEDOUT) {
+            log_with_timestamp("Receive thread did not shut down cleanly in 30 seconds, aborting.");
+            abort(); // Can't complete cleanup while the receive thread is active; bail out.
+        }
     }
 
     interactiveCleanup();
diff --git a/sdr.c b/sdr.c
index 41e3ef2..4c33de1 100644
--- a/sdr.c
+++ b/sdr.c
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ typedef struct {
     bool (*handleOption)(int, char**, int*);
     bool (*open)();
     void (*run)();
+    void (*stop)();
     void (*close)();
 } sdr_handler;
 
@@ -72,6 +73,10 @@ static void noRun()
 {
 }
 
+static void noStop()
+{
+}
+
 static void noClose()
 {
 }
@@ -84,24 +89,24 @@ static bool unsupportedOpen()
 
 static sdr_handler sdr_handlers[] = {
 #ifdef ENABLE_RTLSDR
-    { "rtlsdr", SDR_RTLSDR, rtlsdrInitConfig, rtlsdrShowHelp, rtlsdrHandleOption, rtlsdrOpen, rtlsdrRun, rtlsdrClose },
+    { "rtlsdr", SDR_RTLSDR, rtlsdrInitConfig, rtlsdrShowHelp, rtlsdrHandleOption, rtlsdrOpen, rtlsdrRun, rtlsdrStop, rtlsdrClose },
 #endif
 
 #ifdef ENABLE_BLADERF
-    { "bladerf", SDR_BLADERF, bladeRFInitConfig, bladeRFShowHelp, bladeRFHandleOption, bladeRFOpen, bladeRFRun, bladeRFClose },
+    { "bladerf", SDR_BLADERF, bladeRFInitConfig, bladeRFShowHelp, bladeRFHandleOption, bladeRFOpen, bladeRFRun, noStop, bladeRFClose },
 #endif
 
 #ifdef ENABLE_HACKRF
-    { "hackrf", SDR_HACKRF, hackRFInitConfig, hackRFShowHelp, hackRFHandleOption, hackRFOpen, hackRFRun, hackRFClose },
+    { "hackrf", SDR_HACKRF, hackRFInitConfig, hackRFShowHelp, hackRFHandleOption, hackRFOpen, hackRFRun, noStop, hackRFClose },
 #endif
 #ifdef ENABLE_LIMESDR
-    { "limesdr", SDR_LIMESDR, limesdrInitConfig, limesdrShowHelp, limesdrHandleOption, limesdrOpen, limesdrRun, limesdrClose },
+    { "limesdr", SDR_LIMESDR, limesdrInitConfig, limesdrShowHelp, limesdrHandleOption, limesdrOpen, limesdrRun, noStop, limesdrClose },
 #endif
 
-    { "none", SDR_NONE, noInitConfig, noShowHelp, noHandleOption, noOpen, noRun, noClose },
-    { "ifile", SDR_IFILE, ifileInitConfig, ifileShowHelp, ifileHandleOption, ifileOpen, ifileRun, ifileClose },
+    { "none", SDR_NONE, noInitConfig, noShowHelp, noHandleOption, noOpen, noRun, noStop, noClose },
+    { "ifile", SDR_IFILE, ifileInitConfig, ifileShowHelp, ifileHandleOption, ifileOpen, ifileRun, noStop, ifileClose },
 
-    { NULL, SDR_NONE, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL } /* must come last */
+    { NULL, SDR_NONE, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL } /* must come last */
 };
 
 void sdrInitConfig()
@@ -158,7 +163,7 @@ bool sdrHandleOption(int argc, char **argv, int *jptr)
 
 static sdr_handler *current_handler()
 {
-    static sdr_handler unsupported_handler = { "unsupported", SDR_NONE, noInitConfig, noShowHelp, noHandleOption, unsupportedOpen, noRun, noClose };
+    static sdr_handler unsupported_handler = { "unsupported", SDR_NONE, noInitConfig, noShowHelp, noHandleOption, unsupportedOpen, noRun, noStop, noClose };
 
     for (int i = 0; sdr_handlers[i].name; ++i) {
         if (Modes.sdr_type == sdr_handlers[i].sdr_type) {
@@ -192,6 +197,11 @@ void sdrRun()
     pthread_mutex_unlock(&Modes.reader_cpu_mutex);
 }
 
+void sdrStop()
+{
+    current_handler()->stop();
+}
+
 void sdrClose()
 {
     pthread_mutex_destroy(&Modes.reader_cpu_mutex);
diff --git a/sdr.h b/sdr.h
index ba030e7..b73655b 100644
--- a/sdr.h
+++ b/sdr.h
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ void sdrShowHelp();
 bool sdrHandleOption(int argc, char **argv, int *jptr);
 bool sdrOpen();
 void sdrRun();
+void sdrStop();
 void sdrClose();
 
 // Call periodically from the SDR read thread to update reader thread CPU stats:
diff --git a/sdr_rtlsdr.c b/sdr_rtlsdr.c
index ef27f70..fd192c2 100644
--- a/sdr_rtlsdr.c
+++ b/sdr_rtlsdr.c
@@ -358,6 +358,15 @@ void rtlsdrRun()
     }
 }
 
+void rtlsdrStop()
+{
+    if (!RTLSDR.dev) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    rtlsdr_cancel_async(RTLSDR.dev);
+}
+
 void rtlsdrClose()
 {
     if (RTLSDR.dev) {
diff --git a/sdr_rtlsdr.h b/sdr_rtlsdr.h
index 54999e7..af6c53d 100644
--- a/sdr_rtlsdr.h
+++ b/sdr_rtlsdr.h
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ void rtlsdrInitConfig();
 void rtlsdrShowHelp();
 bool rtlsdrOpen();
 void rtlsdrRun();
+void rtlsdrStop();
 void rtlsdrClose();
 bool rtlsdrHandleOption(int argc, char **argv, int *jptr);
 
diff --git a/util.c b/util.c
index d0d2d07..dd0d570 100644
--- a/util.c
+++ b/util.c
@@ -132,3 +132,15 @@ void set_thread_name(const char *name)
     MODES_NOTUSED(name);
 #endif
 }
+
+int join_thread(pthread_t thread, void **retval, uint32_t timeout_ms)
+{
+#if (__GLIBC__ > 2) || (__GLIBC__ == 2 && __GLIBC_MINOR__ >= 3)
+    struct timespec abstime;
+    get_deadline(timeout_ms, &abstime);
+    return pthread_timedjoin_np(thread, retval, &abstime);
+#else
+    MODES_NOTUSED(timeout_ms);
+    return pthread_join(thread, retval);
+#endif
+}
diff --git a/util.h b/util.h
index b24e44f..7a95f1f 100644
--- a/util.h
+++ b/util.h
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 #define DUMP1090_UTIL_H
 
 #include <stdint.h>
+#include <pthread.h>
 
 /* Returns system time in milliseconds */
 uint64_t mstime(void);
@@ -60,4 +61,9 @@ void update_cpu_timing(struct timespec *start_time, struct timespec *add_to);
 /* set current thread name, if supported */
 void set_thread_name(const char *name);
 
+/* wait for the given thread to terminate, like pthread_join. If supported,
+ * if the thread has not terminated within `timeout_ms` milliseconds, return ETIMEDOUT.
+ */
+int join_thread(pthread_t thread, void **retval, uint32_t timeout_ms);
+
 #endif