On Sun, 06 Jun 2004 18:28:08 -0700, Hidalgo wrote:

Is the length or the shape of the antenna more important?
snip
Sorry is these are dumb questions. I bought the antenna to entertain
myself during the recovery period after an upcoming surgery and I want the
best possible reception.

Some people have used what you described with great success. There are
some alternatives though...

Active antenna. Also there are some nice active loop antennas.

Some people have had luck throwing a thin wire out the window or conncting
to the eve or rain trough of a building.

There are no rules in an apt building as far as antennas go. whatever
works, works, and if it does not, try something else.