The most fundamental issues in virtual cathode oscillator (vircator)-based high-power microwave devices are efficiency improvement and oscillation frequency control. We present a study of the time-dependent behavior of the oscillation frequency of a reflex-triode vircator for various anodecathode (AK) gaps. The typical electron-beam parameters were 200 kV, 4 kA, and 300 ns, with a current density of a few hundreds of amperes per square centimeter. Time-dependent frequency analysis is applied to the output signal of the vircator to investigate the time evolution of the emitted frequency spectrum for various AK gaps. We find that the dominant frequency peak is less affected by shot-to-shot fluctuations of diode voltage and current than the other frequency components. In addition, the time of occurrence of the dominant and secondary frequency peaks varies on a shot-to-shot basis. The highest microwave power is emitted when all the power is delivered into a single frequency with minimal mode hopping. © 2006 IEEE.